Destiny of the One Winged Angel
by Erutan Xiku
Summary: Two men united by one destiny, a destiny that has called them together again; WARNING: profanity is in use in some chapters, and certain fairly explicit scenes will appear in some...Status: DISCONTINUED.
1. Journey

Final Fantasy VII:

Destiny of the One Winged Angel 

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, nor did I have anything to do with its creation, and all content referring to Final Fantasy VII belongs to Squaresoft/SquareEnix. Also any characters that do not appear in the original Final Fantasy VII have nothing to do with, and strictly appear for the purpose of this story.

"Cephilroud…Cephilroud…" a voice soothing, cooing, calling a name, "the time…is near…" _'Time…what time…'_ deep within slumber, consciousness knows that the words spoken are true, "Cephilroud…" again, the name is said.

~*~

Chapter: 1 - Journey 

Warm rays of sunshine graced through the window, gently caressing the smooth, fine features of Cloud Strife. His brow creased and twitched suddenly, not from the rays, for he relished them, but from whatever haunted his sleep. He opened his eyes slowly and stared blankly at the ceiling, then sat up and turned his head towards the window that the warmth filtered in from. He watched as birds sang and danced among the trees, and relaxed a bit.

"Just a dream…" he said, a smile softening his features and lay back down, among the soft cushion of his pillow. He lay there for a moment, his upper torso bare, and his arms folded under his head.

He let the song of nature lull him again, when the sudden chime of his clock sounded, making him check the time. His eyes narrowed and he sat back up again, _'Dammit! I promised to meet Tifa!'_ he thought, and jumped out of bed to wash up and take a quick shower. By quarter past he was dressed and ready, clad in faded jeans and a pale blue shirt, he ran out of his house and made his way to the Inn.

"Cloud! Miss. Tifa's been looking for you!" the clerk said from behind the counter, as Cloud barged in.

"I know," he breathed, skidding to a halt at the desk, "where is she?" the clerk opened his mouth to reply, when Tifa came down from the upstairs, with a look that could wither a sapling.

"Glad you could make it…fifteen minutes late!" she said, without even making an effort to hide her displeasure.

"Hey, better late than never…" Cloud said, trying to manage an apologetic smile, but unable to make the muscles in his face work. She glared at him, then softened.

"Well, at least you're here…it only means that we have to travel for longer in order to make up lost time," she said, folding her arms and raising an eyebrow, to see his reaction.

"I can live with that," the other replied, shrugging, "so, when do we leave?" he asked, leaning his back against the desk, with his arms resting on the top. Tifa looked into his eyes for a while and felt the ghost of an old feeling rise up, and die down just as quickly. The clerk cleared his throat, as he bent over to rummage about some account records.

"We leave as soon as Lumira arrives," she replied, and caught the surprised look on his face, "I suggest getting your things ready in the meantime, we'll meet at the entrance to the Town," she continued, and before he could say anything in response, she turned and went into the back, evidently sorting out equipment for the trip, judging by the sounds.

"Hmm…Lumira, huh, I wonder why she wants to come along," the clerk mused, studying the account record he had randomly picked up.

"I wonder why…" Cloud said and left briskly through the door, letting it slam itself shut. He headed towards his home, they had been preparing for this journey for quite some time, and never had Lumira been mentioned. _'Maybe she knew I wouldn't approve, I mean it has only been six months since I found her,' _he thought as he entered his house and made his way to one of two bookcases.

He removed a set of keys from one of them, then turned and made his way to a chest and unlocked it. Inside lay the Buster Sword, a blade that had once belonged to his friend, who he owed his life to. He lifted it out and swung it before him, getting the feel for its use, he hadn't used it since he found Lumira, _'Six months out of practice…'_.

He let the thought trail on, as he rummaged inside the chest, setting aside the familiar purple suit of the former owner of the sword, and took out a smaller chest. He opened it and took out the two mastered materia, Lightning and Ice, and placed them into the two vacant slots at the base of the sword.

He looked at the set, and felt the memories he had with these items, pushing them down before they surfaced, and dressed in the purple uniform, clasping each and every buckle, the spiked shoulder pad, securing the wide, leather belt. He pulled on the single gauntlet over his left arm, and ran his hands over the leather gloves. He stood in front of the mirror for a while looking back at the same person he had seen just over five years ago, returning to his home for the first proper time, without those posers.

He picked up the blade for a while, looking along its length almost ceremoniously, and with the same reverence strapped it to his back, and turned to leave the house. Cloud stopped momentarily to grab his cloak and throw it about himself, clasping it at his throat, then turned and looked back. Something about this trip didn't seem right, he felt a great sense of foreboding as he closed the door and made his way to the entrance to wait for Tifa and Lumira.


	2. Awakening

Final Fantasy VII:

Destiny of the One Winged Angel Chapter: 2 – Awakening 

"Sephiroth…Sephiroth…" a gentle, motherly, voice calls, _'That name…so familiar, but the voice…'_ "Can you hear me…?" _'Of course I can…'_ the voice seems to be beseeching attention, or reaction, "Sephiroth…please…" _'Alright…'_ eyes open, ever so slowly, then shut closed against the amazing bright light. The eyes open again, tentatively, then widen. The light did not sting his eyes, as it should, but it had no effect, he had only snapped them shut from some unknown instinct. "Sephiroth…" again, the name is called, and he allows his eyes to wander to search out the source. 

A woman, her body evidently bare, but bathed in light, only her face and hair is visible. Brown locks fell just past her shoulders, but her eyes, glinting emerald; they were what had drawn his attention. He didn't know how, but those eyes mirrored his own. Her face softened into a small smile, as she had his attention. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out, he couldn't make his voice work, his eyes began to sting. She came closer and lifted her slender arms to place them about his neck, in an embrace that sheltered, offered support. He raised his own and returned the hold, only to realise that he too was bathed in light, his body bare, save his face. He felt his body convulse, as warmth travelled from his eyes down his face, he was crying, and yet he did not know why. "Sephiroth…" she said again, and he realised that was his name, he was the one she called.

He slowly released her and looked into her eyes, a strand of hair obscuring the smooth, beautiful features. He lifted a hand and pushed it away, keeping the other firmly around the small of her back, as hers fell down and lay against his broad chest. "Sephiroth…" she said again, he nodded to urge her to carry on. She pulled away, and appraised him; "you have to hear what I have to say…" he nodded again, not wanting to test his voice. She sensed his reasons for not speaking, then drew a deep breath, "Sephiroth…it has been decided that you can no longer rest…you have to return…something," her voice faltered, she took another deep breath, "something is going to happen and you play an important role in the decision of Gaia's fate…the fate of our existence…balance will be thrown, dead will rise and walk as though living…" she stopped as emotion took over.

He stood there absorbing what she had just said; unable to watch her as she fought with what was inside that hurt, he wanted to do something. He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off, "please, let me finish…" her eyes glistened with the fresh tears that had came, "as much as I am against this decision, I understand why you have to go…but still…" she trailed off unable to finish the thought.

"What is it that I have to do…?" he asked, his voice surprisingly calm, for some reason he felt that he needed to do this, no matter what. He needed to repent for something, but all memory of that was gone…why. She looked at him then, her voice lost for a moment, she hadn't expected this reaction, but deep down she knew.

"You need to rise again, and discover yourself…" she answered, her voice just above a whisper, but just as calm. "You only have a few moments before you go,". Understanding her words, he closed the distance and embraced her again, holding her with such need. "I love you," she whispered, as she felt his body become lighter, and breaking up.

"I love you too-", he began then vanished in a blink and spark of light. She stood there for a time, then collapsed to her knees, sobs and open tears racking her form. He had understood who she was, for even though he didn't say it, she managed to catch a faint whisper of it as he disappeared to join his corporeal form.

~*~

Beating, something throbbing inside the body, the unfamiliar sound sounded in his ears. His throat tightened, and his mouth opened wide to take his first breath in years. He began to cough, since he was unable to control the flow of air into his lungs, and slowly managed to regulate the task. He opened his eyes and sudden panic rushed through him, everything was black and dark, _'Am I blind?!'_ the thought came in an instant. He turned his head and saw slivers of green light, pulsing upwards, _'No…'_ he thought, a sudden sigh of relief escaping him.

He pushed himself up slowly, feeling his muscles protest at the sudden movement. They had not been used in years, how was it that he was well preserved, even after so long. He looked at himself and saw he was only wearing black trousers and boots, his upper torso bare, the last thing he wore. He felt something brush his back and jumped, only to find silver hair, his hair, and felt at ease. He allowed his eyes to wander about his surroundings, and saw a long jacket with metal shoulder pads, and buckles on the front, and a pair of gloves with silver bands at the base. Beside it lay a long silver blade, _'My Masamune…'_ that was its name, it had seen him through many battles, and it will see him through his destiny.

He stood up, losing his balance almost immediately, and decided to crawl his way to his belongings. He pulled on the jacket and did up the buckles, feeling the warmth it offered, having not realised how cold it was, and pulled on the gloves. He took hold of the blade and propped it up, using it as a support as he walked. He spent some time learning to walk again, regaining the balance he had lost over time.

By the time he had gained the ability, his eyes had adjusted to the near darkness and were able to make out an opening to his left. He took it and trekked on, following the path as it twisted and turned, in some places the path had led to a deep hole, making him to either find another way around, or to take a risky jump across. He had walked on for ages, with no sense of time, he had no idea what time it was, so he carried on, telling himself that he would rest when he had reached the outside. Soon he found the path to split and followed the one going to his right. He went in this general direction, climbing when it was demanded of him, and kept to the right path.

As he walked through an opening, he shielded his unaccustomed eyes against the sudden brightness, and saw that it came from above. _'The light…coming from above!?! I've made it!'_ the thought flew through his mind, as a smile broke through his features. He had done it, now all he had to do was climb up and he would be out. He looked up and surveyed his surroundings and the distance to the open. Finding a suitable place to climb, he strapped the Masamune to his back and placed a hand in a slot a foot above him, then placed his foot in an available slot. _'Time to return to the above…and discover my destiny'_, he thought and began to make the long climb up. 


	3. Something Strange

Final Fantasy VII:

Destiny of the One Winged Angel Chapter: 3 – Something Strange 

They had been travelling for some, riding chocobo-back towards Costa del Sol, the port town and renowned holiday destination. Due to the great distance from Nibelheim, it was decided that they would stop over at Cosmo Canyon, to restock on supplies and rest.

"How much longer would you say we had?" a young, sprightly voice asked, the rider urging their chocobo forward a bit to match pace with Clouds. He looked over at them, a young girl no more than fifteen years, and had invited herself over on this journey with no viable reason. He smiled; it had been about four days of hard riding, stopping to only rest for a few hours, trying to make up lost time. They had camped under the stars, or wherever shelter was available, it was understandable why she asked.

"Can you see those highlands over there," he replied, pointing towards a set of nearing mountains that were tinted an earthy red by the position of the Sun, the girl nodded, " well, we're closer to them than we were yesterday,"

"In other words, we'll be there probably by nightfall," Tifa said, her hair flying out behind her, as she caught the girls confused look. "Hey, Cloud, lets stop for a bit, our chocobos need to rest," Cloud didn't reply, but steered his mount to a sparse bunch of trees that offered some shade from the noon Sun.

He had been keeping the thought of rest in the back of his mind, but wasn't sure where a suitable place would be, so he went for the next best thing, even though it would leave them exposed to any roaming monsters. They dismounted and left their chocobos nearby to feed and replenish their energy, while they took refuge under the shade offered by the largest tree. Tifa took out some dried meat, cheese and bread from the food pack and offered them to her companions, which they took gratefully. Cloud took out a bottle of water and some cups, and poured them all a drink.

"So, Lumira, tell me, why did you want to come along?" Cloud asked, as he placed a slice of cheese on top of the dried meat he had resting on his slice of bread. She looked up at him, chewing her food thoughtfully, either from having not expected the question, or from the reason why she had come.

"I don't know," she replied, after swallowing. She pushed a strand of black hair back behind her ear, and took a sip of her water, "I had this feeling that I had to come, so I asked Tifa if I could, and she said she had no reason why I couldn't, as long as I never told you about it," Cloud looked from the young girl to Tifa, who met his gaze squarely, showing that she stood by her decision. "I'm gonna go eat with the chocobos, call if you need me," Lumira said, sensing the tension, thus stood up and dismissed herself.

"What made you say 'yes'?" Cloud said, his tone even, once Lumira was out of earshot.

"I didn't see any reason why she couldn't come, I mean its not like someone's going to jump out and kidnap her while she's with us," Tifa replied, her tone defiant, he wasn't a part of her personal life anymore, so he couldn't dominate her thoughts with his reason.

"She isn't experienced in battle, what if she had to protect herself when a pack of monsters ambush us or something?!" he asked, his tone rising in disbelief. Lumira was still learning to defend herself, it was only a few months after she was found that she was fit enough to learn, "you weren't there when I found her, she was cornered and wasn't able to fend off any of those beasts!" Tifa drew in a deep breath, remembering the state the young girl was in when Cloud had carried her into Nibelheim.

"She's got us to protect her, we're here for her if she needs us," she said, more to convince herself, than to make Cloud see reason. He was about to reply when a scream split through the air, followed by the high-pitched shrieks of the chocobos, _'Lumira!'_ he thought as he turned his head in the direction of the source. Sure enough, there she was, surrounded by a pack of four Nibel Wolves, and something else. It was bigger than anything he'd seen in the area, and didn't recognise it. Cloud shot a smouldering glare at Tifa, who sat dumbfounded, then stood up and rushed over to the young girls aid, taking up the Buster Sword as he did so.

"Come on!" he yelled, making Tifa jump. She stood up and tested her gloves, before following Cloud, and joining the fray.

The chocobos had nowhere to go, being surrounded as they were, and were about to give up hope of salvation, when a large bolt of lightning struck the nearest wolf, dazing it before it met its end at the blade of the caster. Before the wolf had let out so much as a cry, a blast of flame erupted at the base of another wolf, sending it sprawling and Tifa was there smashing her foot into the head of the beast.

"Lumira! Take the chocobos and fall back!" Cloud cried, ramming the hilt of his sword into the snout of a third wolf. The girl nodded and grabbed the reigns of the three birds and made her getaway while the two fighters covered her. Tifa stole a moment to glance at Lumiras progress, when a clawed fist flew out of nowhere and sent her flying back a few metres. Clouds eyes narrowed, "Tifaaaa!!!" he cried, slashed at the wolf that snapped at him, and made his way to her downed form. She stirred and groaned as she tried to rise up again, but her eyes widened in horror as the last Nibel Wolf came at her, its jaws widened, displaying razor sharp teeth. A scream forced its way out as the jaws clamped about her arm, which was thrown up to protect her, as she squeezed her eyes shut.

The pain never came, and she opened her eyes to see Cloud forcing his sword out of the wolfs limp body. Tifa stood up and brushed herself off, exchanging a quick smile with her saviour, relief meeting gratitude, then looked about for the last, unidentifiable beast. A guttural cry bellowed from the direction Lumira had run in, the beast had made this distraction on purpose so it could go after the girl. The two friends sprinted their way to help, when a scream had followed the cry.

They scaled the hill that the girl had gone over, and witnessed the beast looming over her, as she scrambled backwards from where she had fallen. The chocobos were some distance away, not wanting to leave the girl behind, and unable to do anything to help. The beast raised its massive claws above its minute head, which was perched above a heavily muscled body, the cords tensing with the action. A cry of alarm escaped the two fighters, as they knew they were unable to help the situation, they were too far to protect her, but just maybe – they concentrated hard on the abilities the materia granted, and cast the highest-level spells available. The attacks hit, but did little than enrage the beast further.

Its claws descended, Lumiras eyes widened in horror, and what followed next was something completely unexpected. Red light surrounded the battlefield, engulfing the unknown beast. It cried as blades of black light pierced through the red light, evidently piercing the beast's body. The light began to tighten, like a fist had clenched around it, and the spectators saw that Lumira had regained her feet, her hands in front of her, clenched as though squeezing something. The cry of the beast became choked and died into nothing; the light began to dissipate, taking all remains with it, as her hands fell to her sides. Her eyes glowed red, her breathing became ragged and the aura left her as her eyes closed and she collapsed. Tifa ran over to Lumiras unconscious form, leaving Cloud where he was, shocked at what he had seen. The amount of power that was generated sparked something inside him, it had surprised him, but something deep within stirred, and he could not recognise what it was.

"Cloud! Are you going to stand there or what?! We have to get to Cosmo Canyon as soon as possible!" Tifa cried, as she cradled the young girls form, she was pale and covered in sweat. Roused by her words, Cloud raced down and grabbed hold of the chocobos, and took hold of Lumira as Tifa mounted one. He passed the girl up to her, and mounted another, keeping hold of the third chocobos reigns. Once everyone was secure and ready to go, they kicked the chocobos into motion, riding at a full gallop.

~*~

"Is she going to be okay?" Cloud asked, as the doctor walked out of the room Lumira was resting in. They had made it to Cosmo Canyon just as night began to fall, the chocobos were near to death and were serviced on the spot, for fear of their last ounce of endurance being drained should they be moved any further. The doctor looked at him and gave a reassuring smile.

"She'll be back in good shape in a couple of days, three at the most, but she's holding up," Cloud sighed in relief at this announcement, "whatever she had gone through, must have drained her big time, she needs to be careful in future," the doctor finished, and Cloud nodded his thanks and promised that he will do better to look after her in future. As the doctor left, he turned and went out onto the nearest balcony, and found Tifa leaning against it, looking out over the view. A single candle was lighting the area, he joined her and stood at her right.

"She's going to be alright, so no worries," he said, his voice gentle and reassuring. Tifa sniffed in reply, the sound surprising him, "Tifa, don't worry she's-"

"Oh Cloud…it's all my fault…" she said, her voice barely rising above a whisper.

"Hey…don't blame yourself like this, how were you supposed to know, that this would happen," he said, trying to calm her. She looked at him then, her deep brown eyes glistening with tears that ran down her cheeks and fell.

"Oh, but it is…I should never have let her come…you were right to be mad earlier, I was being foolish, I thought that with us there, everything would be okay, but it wasn't…my judgement was poor…" her voice faltered then and she burst into fresh tears, her head hung low. Cloud reached out a hand and placed it on her shoulder; unable to say or do anything else, unexpectedly she fell into his arms and sobbed openly, clutching at him for support. He stroked her head and held her, offering the support she needed then, the support he hadn't given her in years. 


	4. Risen

Final Fantasy VII:

Destiny of the One Winged Angel Chapter: 4 – Risen 

Sephiroth awoke somewhat groggily; his night had been plagued with dreams – dreams of his past, dreams of something unexplainable, and dreams of a woman. He sat up and ran his hand through the tangled mass of platinum hair, which framed his face and cascaded down his back. A tired yawn escaped his mouth and he flopped back down among the soft heaven of the bed, which he had been offered from the first day he had arrived here at Icicle Inn.

Laying there, he thought about his trek out of the North Crater, the name of which he had picked up from the locals. It had been a hard journey; he had slept under the stars as soon as night fell, for he had climbed out at noon, and had decided to travel a bit, before stopping to sleep under an overhang of rock. He had walked through the snow, fighting any beast that had threatened his life, regaining long lost battle skills that were still in his system, but not gone. After a few days, he had come across a cave, and had decided to cross it in one go, to decrease the chances of dying in his sleep.

The cave had been a monster haven, and the fighting had kept him awake and alive. He had on many occasions, come so close to death, but his will would not allow it, he had made a personal promise to accomplish this task he had been set, especially if it was so important that he of all people be brought back. He understood who he was, his dreams had revealed that much, sometimes it felt as though someone was purposely revealing this information to him, but he had little time to ponder it, until he had reached the secure walls of a town.

He had crossed the cave, finding himself at the edge of a cliff, which was in the direct path of a snowstorm. Knowing that he would die if he dared to stay here until he had replenished his energy, he decided to scale down the cliff to the base, and walk a bit until he was out of the storm, and it was suitable to rest. The scaling had been slightly treacherous, for many times he had to stop and warm up before continuing, and upon reaching the base he had walked out of the storm, only to find that he was in a snowfield, although not as cold as the cliff, it was hard to tell what lurked in the area. He found a nearby cave and secured the area before settling down to sleep, he would need all the energy he had to get out of the snowfield.

The next day he made a quick meal of roots and berries, and was lucky enough to find a nearby spring just a few metres from where he had slept. He had no idea how long he had been in the snowfield, before he heard the sounds of civilisation, never had a sound been so blessed to his ears, that he had thought it was the wind playing tricks on his tired mind. He had just reached the entrance to the town, spying people playing in the snow, before he collapsed to the ground and fell into deep blackness.

There was a soft knock at his door followed by the sound of his name being gently called, the owner evidently careful of not waking him.

"I'm awake Moira," he said, his tone inviting. He pulled the covers up to his chin, as the door opened to reveal a young woman, barely over twenty-six years, with wavy brown hair reaching just past her shoulders. Her eyes were dark and a soft smile played on her features.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked, a question that often passed her lips from the first day he had come. That day he had awoken, drenched in sweat and in a panic, unable to recognise his surroundings, nor how he had come to arrive at this place. It had taken some time to calm him, before he remembered his hard journey from the Crater to the town of Icicle Inn, and realised that this woman had taken him in, a complete stranger.

"I slept fine, thank you," he said, even though he had had those dreams; he did sleep well, for they did little to bother him. Learning that it would have taken about eight days travel on foot from the Crater to the town, and adding that to the amount of time he had spent asleep before waking, he realised that it was his fourteenth day back on Gaia. From that day, he had been doing odd jobs around the town to save up enough Gil to pay his share of living at Moira's home, which she had refused saying that she did not need compensation, for it was a pleasure to help a person in need. Thus he had decided to help with chores instead, and she had conceded after much persuasion, saying that it was because he needed to do some work in order to get his figure back.

"Your breakfast is ready, Gabe," she said walking in and sitting at the edge of his bed. The use of a fake name was necessary, there was no telling how people would react if they knew his name, it was bad enough that he was dressed as he was when they had found him. He noticed her studying his features for a few moments, and realising she had been caught; she turned away, her cheeks tinged with pink. "Uh...you're looking better, I see…I mean your figure, it's getting back," she said, her face becoming red. Sephiroth looked at her and blinked, then let out a soft laugh.

"I have you to thank for that, you've taken good care of me, a total stranger, and I am grateful," he said sitting up and resting against the headboard. Moira looked sheepishly up at him, and giggled, such a sweet sound.

"Anyway, I've got to get back to work, I'll see you around dinner time…and you're welcome, Gabe," she said, patting his thigh in a companionable manner, then stood up and left the room. When the door closed, he let out a sigh, he liked Moira, and yet he had to lie to her, which hurt, but it was necessary, and since he was getting his figure back, he had to think of another way of keeping his true identity a secret. He swung his legs out of the bed and sat there for some time, thinking; sure enough, when he had first arrived here, he had no reason to think of a disguise, since his appearance looked very different to the way he was when he first awoke in the Crater. He had been greatly under nourished and sleep deprived, so there was no reason to question his identity at the time, until now. He stood up, grabbed his towel and headed to the bathroom; this was going to be his last day here.

After washing up and having a shower, Sephiroth had dressed himself in some clothes, which he had bought a few days back with the Gil he had earned. He clad himself in black jeans, a white vest and a brown, waist-length jacket, then proceeded to the kitchen to eat his breakfast and washed the dishes. He sat at the table for some time, thinking of a way to alter his appearance, without changing who he was entirely, the most obvious feature of himself, he supposed, was his long hair, but he was reluctant to do something with it. He had had it for so long, but if it was the only way, then he had no choice but to get rid of it, or change it in some way.

Standing up, he headed to his room, picked up the Masamune, and went out into the backyard of the house. _'If I'm going to do this, then I may as well do it with my own blade,'_ he knelt down, placing the blade by his side. He gathered his silver mane in one hand, save for the strands that framed his face, took up the Masamune with his free hand and rested the flat of the blade against his neck, the sharp end against the strands of hair. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and in one movement, sliced upwards, feeling the momentary resistance, causing him to let out a small cry. The blade fell from his hands once the task had been complete, the hand holding the strands rose in front of him and he looked at the silver mane, tears pricked his eyes. It would be hard adjusting to this new haircut, but it had to be done, if he wanted to live long enough to do what he had to do, he had to make these kind of sacrifices. Stroking the strands once, he stood and released them into the wind, letting it carry them to whatever destination it had.

He re-entered the house, picking up his Masamune on the way, and propped it against the wall outside his room, as he entered it. He took out a face towel and headed back into the bathroom, placing the towel around his neck and spreading it across his shoulders. Taking out a pair of scissors, he looked in the mirror, surveying the work, and noticed that the hair was a bit long around the ears. He snipped and tidied the cut, trimming the strands to make it neater. He gathered the fresh strands and threw them in the bin, then proceeded to wash his hair and rid it of any extra strands.

He walked back into his room, drying his hair, took out a wallet from a drawer, and checked the contents, finding that he had saved enough to last him to his destination, at which point he would have to take up more jobs. Crossing the room, he knelt at a bag and opened it, finding the clothes he had worn for the most part of his journey neatly folded, and pushed it down a bit, making sure that there was enough room for food supplies. He placed the towel on the heater, and then stepped into the hallway, pulled on his boots, letting the jeans cover them, then stepped outside into the fairly cold weather of Icicle Inn,_ 'Now to buy some supplies,'_

~*~

"Gabe…I'm home," Moira's voice chimed, as she entered the home. A delicious scent wafted from the kitchen, reminding her of how long a day it had been. "Mmm…that smells nice…" she said as she entered the kitchen, her comment trailing off as she caught sight of Sephiroth. "What did you do to your hair?" she said, after a moment of shock.

"Oh, this? Don't you like it?" he asked, "I thought I needed a change in appearance," he finished, a smile breaking onto his face. She was speechless at the sight, she had barely recognised him without his silver mane.

"No, it's good, it suits you very well," she said, taking a seat, as he served the meal of pasta with a meat sauce. He took his own seat after serving his dish, and they ate together.

"How was your day?" he asked, more to prolong the moment he had to tell her of his leaving, than to make simple conversation. She let out a soft moan of delight as she savoured the meal, and swallowed the bite.

"It was good, but busy, you know how it is," she replied, taking another bite, "How was yours?"

"Oh, it was okay, no work, so I took the time to prepare…" he said, trailing off, _'I have to tell her now, so I can leave as soon as possible…'_ he thought, the idea leaving a weight in his stomach. Her chewing slowed, as her expression changed into one of misunderstanding.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Sephiroth took his time to answer, using the time to think of a way of phrasing what he had to say.

"It's not that I don't appreciate what you've done…" he began, looking at his plate so that he wouldn't have to look into her eyes, "it's just that I have to go…I have to go somewhere…" There was an agonising silence between them, and he looked up at her to see if she was taking this all right; she wasn't even looking at him, but at her plate.

"Oh…well, can I at least come with you to wherever it is you're going?" she asked, looking up at him, her eyes holding the knowledge that she already knew the answer.

"No…" he replied, meeting her gaze, "I have to do this on my own…"

"Oh…okay," she said, her gaze hardening. She stood up and walked briskly to the living room, her mood obviously soured. Sephiroth sighed, fearing that it would come to this, and followed her.

"Look, I'd take you if I could, but I can't-"

"Why not?! Will I be such a burden, or are you going to visit a sweetheart that you never told me about?!" she cried, turning to face him, tears forming in her eyes. He looked at her, something grasping him from inside, and his own gaze hardened.

"Listen…would you like to travel with someone who has committed as many crimes as I have?" he asked, his voice a monotone. Her expression became confused.

"Crimes? What crimes?" she asked.

"I have killed countless people, massacred a whole town, and placed this whole Planet in mortal danger…so tell me would you like to travel with someone such as I?" he asked again, his tone unchanging, but the sorrow and truth were evident in his eyes.

"Gabe…you can't have…" she began, but trailed off.

"Moira…" he began, his expression softening, his tone gentle, "my name isn't Gabe…it's Sephiroth…"

"Sephiroth…?" she echoed, unable to comprehend, "but Sephiroth died five years ago…you can't…be…"

"Oh, but I am…I wanted to tell you in the beginning, but I needed to keep my identity a secret…you see…I was sent back for a reason and I need to discover that reason…that's why you can't come, because I need to do this on my own…" he said. He could see that she was trying to bring her head around all this, and suddenly understanding dawned on her, she believed him about who he was, but was unsure about the purpose. She stepped closer and looked into his eyes, seeing that every word he had spoken was true.

She reached up and placed her hands to the sides of his face, bringing hers closer. He raised his own and placed them over hers, he suspected what came next and closed his eyes, as her lips met his in a gentle kiss. Despite who he was, she had grown to love him in the week they had spent together, one hand trailed down to his neck as the other climbed into his hair. Sephiroth took hold of her hands and pulled them away, and gently pulled his face away. They looked into each others eyes, beseeching each other, "I have to go…" he whispered and released his grip, then turned and left to gather his things. He pulled the bag onto his shoulders and slid the Masamune into its scabbard, which he had moved onto his back. He went to the door and pulled on the boots a second time and left the house, heading to the main entrance to hire a chocobo and make his way to the ruins that were said to lie on the other side of the mountain.

Moira stood in the living room, fresh tears making their way down her cheeks, she had no idea if she would see him again, but until then she would keep his identity a secret.

~*~

He had arrived at the ruins just after sunrise, spending the night riding hard and fast through the snow. He had found a cave and had gone through it, sending the chocobo on its way back to the stables. He had climbed down the crevices, and found himself on a set of spiked stairways, and followed them. He followed the path it led to, and continued going straight, whenever the path seemed to branch. There was a vague notion that he remembered this place and knew he had been here once before, there was something here he needed to find, he knew it.

Soon enough he came to a crossroads; a path similar to the one he was on leading ahead, a longer, straighter path on his right and a shorter path similar to that leading to his left. He closed his eyes momentarily and felt something tug him to his right and followed his instinct. He walked down through the structures of ruins, his breath being taken by the beauty of it, a long lost age, all here, and no archaeologists to dig it up. He passed though a crevice, and found himself looking out onto a large, spiked structure with a wide lake at its base.

The lake shimmered with an otherworldly sparkle, and he knew that the Lifestream was running through this lake as well. He stepped towards it, entranced by its shimmer, he paused at the waters edge, listening, there was a faint sound, a kind of gentle humming, but where from. He tried to think, but the sound filled his ears and took hold of his mind, his legs moved automatically, and he walked into the water until he was waist deep. Standing there, he lifted out his arm, and felt a surge of energy rush through him, he gritted his teeth, this wasn't his doing. Whatever was happening, he was being controlled and he didn't like it, but he couldn't fight the stronger will either.

After a few moments the water around him began to part and something began to rise through the depths. He sucked in a breath as he could make out the appearance of brown hair, which was followed by a face, then shoulders leading to a body, which was dressed in a pink dress and a red jean jacket. His eyes narrowed, the person was a woman, a woman that he had seen before in his dreams. He felt the surge of energy leave him and he almost fell back if he hadn't caught his balance, he saw the body begin to fall and he threw out his arms to catch her.

Sephiroth walked back to the shore, cradling her in his arms, and laid her down. He checked her over, seeing if there was a pulse, there was a faint one and she was breathing lightly. He pushed back the hair that was plastered to her face and sucked in his breath; he was taken aback by her beauty. He didn't know who she was, but he knew he had met her, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that something terrible had happened when they had met. 


	5. Set Sail

Final Fantasy VII:

Destiny of the One Winged Angel Chapter: 5 – Set Sail 

Cloud hoisted the last travel-pack onto the Lagoon chocobo they had been provided with, so they could cross the shallow waters slightly north on their way to Costa del Sol.

"Uncle Cloud! Uncle Cloud!" came the united call of two young voices. He turned at the sound of his name and smiled as he saw the two young cubs of Nanaki – Seto and Kela. "Hey, Uncle Cloud! Can we come too?" Seto asked, lunging into Clouds arms, as Kela sat on her haunches, waiting for her brother to be set down so she could have her turn.

"Did Daddy say you could?" Cloud asked, giving Seto a hug before setting him down and giving Kela some attention.

"Well…no, but we really wanna come, I mean, we are old enough…aren't we…?" Seto replied, sitting down and gazing at his father's friend. Cloud smiled and sat cross-legged on the ground, making sure that he didn't sit on his cloak.

"Of course you're old enough! Who said you weren't?" he said, smiling as their eyes sparkled with pride, "But you see, Uncle Cloud is going on a dangerous journey, and he'd hate to see anything happen to his two favourite cubs," he added giving them a sorrowful and serious look.

"Aw, Uncle Cloud, don't be sad, we'll look after ourselves!" Kela said, standing up again and giving a demonstration of snapping at the leg of an animal, then clawing at it, "See!" Cloud gave a gasp of surprise and beamed with pride, showing them how happy he was that they were practicing their battle skills.

"There you are Cloud…and I see you've found my little ones too!" a voice said from behind the twin cubs. The two cubs turned around to see where the owner of the voice was, while Cloud looked up and smiled in greeting.

"Daddy!!!" the two cried, and leapt towards him, prancing about his paws. Nanaki gave a hearty laugh, as he minded them, making sure he didn't step on them by accident.

"Go on you two, your mother's looking for you," he said, nudging them in the direction their mother was in. Once they had said their good-byes and scampered off to search for their mother, Nanaki stepped up to Cloud and sat beside him, "well old friend, it was a pleasure having you stay…the cubs seemed to have taken to you quite well…"

"Especially since Tifa kept saying that I was terrible with kids," Cloud replied, a laugh escaped them at the truth of the matter. They had stayed for four days, just to make sure that Lumira was definitely fit to travel, surprisingly when she had awoken, she had no recollection of destroying the beast that had threatened her life. It was better that way; if she had remembered what she had done then her mind would have been restless with thoughts of who she was, and what was inside her that granted such power. 

Tifa had been in such a state for the first two days, worrying about the girls well being. She had awoken on the morning of the third day, showing no sign of recollection, only falling through darkness. "Yeah, we're gonna leave as soon as Lumira's ready, Tifa's with her now, so…" Cloud added, once he had calmed down. Nanaki looked at him and nudged his snout against his friends shoulder, making him look at him.

"You know…having the cubs is a blessing, I was only lucky to have found a female of my species while journeying…" he said, looking at him seriously through his one good eye. He still bore the tattoos that the mad Professor Hojo had given him, marking him as the thirteenth project, in his attempt to clone Sephiroth. Cloud looked at him sceptically, an eyebrow half raised.

"Red…are you trying to tell me that I should settle down?" he said, using the nickname that only he and the others that had taken part in the battle against Sephiroth knew. Nanaki gave him a look, to say that that was what he had meant, "well, you know, there was only one woman for me…and even if I tried, I know I wouldn't be able to have found that quality in another," Nanaki gave him another look that showed that he didn't care, he hated to see his human friend on his own, constantly travelling, he needed to settle down. "Nanaki…don't think I haven't tried moving on, I tried with Tifa and even then it didn't work out…I'm just destined to never meet someone I can truly settle down with, either that or be forced into marriage and living with someone I could be happy with, but never grow to love as she deserved to be…" he ended, trailing off. His companion gave a sigh, and stood up.

"Hey Red! Come to see us off?" Tifa's voice called as she approached, ruffling his mohekan mane. Nanaki returned the gesture by nuzzling her hand.

"You could say that…" he replied, turning to see Cloud standing up and getting ready to go. "I see Cloud's got everything ready for your departure," he said, turning to face Tifa. He noticed a young girl standing behind her, looking fairly timid, his face and tone softened, "I hope you three have a safe journey, and I pray for Gaia to protect you," he said, sitting down to watch as they mounted the light blue chocobos and prepared to go.

"Farewell, Nanaki," Cloud said and they rode on through the entrance gates and towards the direction of Costa del Sol.

~*~

"Wow! This is Costa de Sol!!!" Lumira's amazed voice chimed. She had never been to the sunny port town and holiday resort before, and so was obviously awed by the amount of people milling about, as well as company trucks that came off and boarded the transport ships, to deliver their goods.

They had been riding for six long days, disposing of any monsters that had challenged them, protecting Lumira more than the last time, to keep her from revisiting the awesome power within her, fearing that if given the chance to unleash them again, she would remember the incident this time and be filled with questions that they could not answer.

"Watch it Lumi," Tifa said, taking hold of the cloak at the young girls shoulder, "you can get lost quite easily on these streets, so it's safer to stick with us," Lumira nodded to show that she had heard, but it didn't keep her from gazing at everything with an eagerness that a child of her age would have. Tifa felt Cloud step closer to her and glanced at his open hand, there was a key. She looked at him a question forming in her eyes.

"Take the key and wait for me at the Villa, I'll meet you there with the boat tickets, okay," Cloud explained, smiling at her momentary incomprehension, but more about Lumira's behaviour. It reminded him of when he had last been here with everyone; Nanaki had been just as amazed as she was, especially when his tail had started wagging, without his control.

"Okay, meet you there then," she replied, smiling back and taking the key, "Lumira, come on, lets go to Clouds Villa, we can rest there and freshen up," at this comment, the young girl looked at her in excitement, especially at the mention of Clouds Villa. She had never known he had one, and was dying to explore it.

The two left Clouds company, and made their way to the Villa, taking some of the supply packs with them. He watched as they left, hoisted the last set of packs on his shoulders, made sure the Buster Sword was secure, then made his way to the ticket booth.

"Two adults and one child for the next ship to Junon, please," he said, as he stepped up to the booth. The lady behind the counter, who was in her mid-forties, smiled at him and processed the order.

"250Gil, please," she said, as the tickets popped out of the end of the processing machine. Cloud handed her the money with a polite smile, and took the tickets, "enjoy your trip,"

"Thank you, ma'am," he said and turned to make his way towards the Villa. He checked the tickets, and saw that they were booked on the ship that left in another six hours. They would have to board fifteen minutes early for good measure, in case there happened to be a line or some problems.

~*~

They boarded the ship fifteen minutes before the time it was due to leave. Lumira was a bit apprehensive, having never been on a ship before, but with some reassurance from Cloud and Tifa, made her way up the steps and onto the ship. They had their tickets checked at the top and were shown to their cabins, which to their convenience were next to each other.

"How long do you think it'll take us to get there?" came Lumira's usually light voice, tinged with worry. Cloud and Tifa looked at her and smiled reassuringly, and she smiled back, but with half the enthusiasm she usually had.

"Trust me, it's going to be okay, and we'll probably reach there in another six days, so don't worry, okay," Cloud replied, placing a hand on her shoulder, a smile breaking onto his face.

"S-six days?!" she exclaimed in response, her face becoming one of mortal fear.

"Hey, don't worry about it, you'll love the sea once you've spent one day on it!" Tifa chimed, her expression complimenting her voice with a broad smile. Lumira whimpered, a sound that clearly said that she didn't trust them. At this the other two tried to stifle their growing laughter, but couldn't fight the urge and burst out raucously. Lumira frowned at the two, feeling rather embarrassed by their reaction making it seem ridiculous, when it was understandable for someone who hadn't been out on the sea before to be as afraid as she was.

"Hey! It's not funny!!!" she cried, her face red with anger and embarrassment. She let out a squeal as the engines of the ship began to come awake, rumbling the craft to life, and lost her balance as it jerked into motion. Cloud and Tifa were struggling to slow their laughter, wiped the tears away and helped her to her feet just as the voice of the pilot rang in about the ship.

"Welcome aboard The Poseidon, as you can probably tell, we have begun our journey to Junon, and will arrive at around nine a.m. in six days time. Please enjoy the cruise, and the staff and I wish you a pleasant night," 


	6. To Midgar

Final Fantasy VII:

Destiny of the One Winged Angel Chapter: 6 – To Midgar 

She had slept for a good few hours when she stirred, a soft moan escaping her.

As he had waited for her to wake, he had started a fire and covered her with a blanket he had brought along, while pulling his cloak tight about himself. As she had slept, he had lost himself in thoughts of Moira, wondering if he had done the right thing in leaving her like that, confused by her feelings, and distressed at his absence. A hand lifted to his lips and traced the imprint, he barely noticed what he was doing and wondered if she had really felt that way about him, or was it the sense of loss. _'What would have happened, if I had decided to let her carry on…'_ he thought for a fleeting moment, then flicked his eyes down to the sleeping form of the woman that he had found, _'I definitely wouldn't be here right now,'_ at that moment she had stirred, pulling him out of his brooding thoughts. He scrambled over to her side; ready to lend any support he could if she needed it.

            Her eyes opened, slowly and sleepily, revealing green the same shade as his, and for a momentary second he thought it was she, the woman he had first met before awaking, but knew instantly that it wasn't. She was dead, while this one was not, her eyes fixed on his, momentary confusion expressed within them, then a sudden gasp of realisation escaped her, making him jump back.

"S-Sephiroth…?" she asked, sitting up and letting the blanket slide down to her waist. Her expression was one of misunderstanding, she didn't know how he could still be alive, of course the voices in the Lifestream had mentioned a warrior who would reclaim her, but she hadn't thought it would have been the silver haired one before her.

"And you are…?" he prompted, seeing no reason to justify her query, since it appeared that she already knew the truth, but still, how was it that she knew who he was and he had no idea who she was.

            "You are Sephiroth, aren't you…" she said, more to sate her inner uncertainty than to make him answer. There was something about her voice that he couldn't pin down, he felt as though he knew it from somewhere. As she continued to gaze at him, her mind reeling with thoughts, a dominant one surfaced to the top, "but you're dead…you have been for…" she trailed off, unsure how to continue, since he hadn't died the first time, back in the Nibelheim Mako Reactor, and so wasn't sure if he had truly died this time either.

            "Hmph…I have been for five years, or ten if you wish, counting on the last time everyone thought I was dead, but this time I did truly die…" he explained. Her eyes widened, as she tried to understand why he wasn't dead anymore. "Excuse me miss, I don't see any reason of disclosing any more information if I don't know your name," he said, as he felt his patience waning. That was all he could offer though, patience, since the woman too had been dead for five years and now was alive, she needed to be brought up to speed. She frowned then, one that showed pain and bitterness as she remembered what had happened.

            "So…you really don't remember me…what you did to me…" she said, her voice tinged with ice. He looked at her, his eyes telling her that he remembered her, but didn't know who she was, "my name is Aeris…Aeris Gainsborough…and you took my life, which I offered quite freely knowing my fate…" she added, catching the look he had.

She was angry then, knowing she had been dead for five years, only to be brought back by the tyrant that had taken her life in the first place, what a cruel game the spirits were playing with her. She had spent those years in sorrow, after unleashing Holy to destroy the Meteor; she had reduced herself to near insanity. Lost in thoughts of what it was like to have been alive, what it would have been like if she had been able to stay with her beloved, twice now she had a been a victim of destiny, and this was the third time. Just as she was about to strike out at the man that had taken five years of her life, she froze captured by the dark gaze he was holding her with.

            "You…you were the one who was humming earlier…" he hissed, his voice dripping with anger, "…you should know, I don't take lightly to being controlled like that," her anger wilted a bit as she took in what he had said.

            "Humming…? You mean to say that you heard?" she whispered, the words barely audible.

            "Of course I heard! How else do you expect to be on dry land! You took control of my body, unleashed some power within me and you appeared! Rising out of the lake like some spectre…" he snapped, trailing off as he couldn't being himself to say anymore. Her brow creased in thought as she tried to discern the source of what he was saying, she hadn't been able to do anything while in the lake. Her spirit had left her body, which had been preserved by the Lifestream. He continued to look at her with that dark gaze, although it was beginning to wane as doubt began to creep over him.

            "I never took control of you…nor was I humming," she stated, her tone firm. He flashed her a confused look, momentarily waning the dark gaze, "I couldn't do anything while I was in the lake, Sephiroth, if I could I would have called someone else to bring me to the surface," her voice still held shards of ice, betraying her bitterness towards him. He looked away at that comment, understanding her anger.

            "Then, it must have been the spirits in the Lifestream…" he said, after a few moments of thought, "well…I'm going to keep heading south, that's where I feel I am being pulled towards…so if you wish, you can go your own way, oh and you can keep the blanket," he added standing up, and preparing to go.

            "I can't…" came her small statement. He turned to look at her, curiosity marking his smooth features.

            "Why not?" he asked simply. He ran a hand through his platinum hair, and expected it to go through a thick mane, when it suddenly met his neck, and remembered that it was no longer there.

            "Because…I am bound to you now…the spirits said as much, so now since you brought me back, I go where you go," she said meeting his gaze and stood up. She folded the blanket, put out the fire and stepped up to him, holding the blanket out. He looked down at it, and then placed a hand over it, pushing it slightly back towards her.

            "I said that you could keep it…" he said, his voice soft. He had no idea that bringing her back would have caused her to be with him wherever he went, he didn't want to be a bane in her life anymore. He just wanted to do this on his own, without getting anyone else involved. She looked up at him, her eyes empty but he could read clearly that she didn't want to be carrying something around, when she didn't have anything to carry it in. "Fine, but when we reach the next town, we're buying a pack for you, and then you'll take the blanket back," why had fate done this to them, to her. Destiny was something he could live with, but fate…fate was far crueler in its own right, it was never fair.

            Without another word passing between them, they turned and walked towards the ruins, taking the path directly ahead of it and entered a forest.

~*~

They had been sailing for three days now, heading towards a small port town north of Midgar. They had boarded the ship at the south of Bone Village, having arrived at the excavation site from the forest. Here they had gathered some information on a form of transport that was heading south, Sephiroth being the main speaker, since Aeris was inclined to stay quiet. He didn't blame her really, she was being placed with a person who had mercilessly taken her life, and could do nothing about it.

Once arriving at the trading ship, they paid the price they asked for a ride to Midgar. The ship was one of the best models around, it was fast and matched the amount of time it took from Bone Village to Midgar, as it took from Costa del Sol to Junon. Now they were on their way, having been surrounded by the ocean waters for as far as the eye could see. Sephiroth lay on the bed in his cabin, looking up at the ceiling, what would he do once he had reached Midgar, where was he going to go.

He rolled onto his side, and then rose up, unable to stand the silence, he needed to get out. He threw the cloak over his shoulders, pulled on the pack and slid the Masamune home, then made his way up to the deck, where he found Aeris, gazing out into the horizon. He made his way over, and leaned against the railing, a few metres to her left, and watched the waves shift up and down. He closed his eyes against the light breeze, savouring the way it caressed his features and wove through his hair.

            "Why did you cut it?" came the question. He opened his eyes, and saw Aeris standing right next to him, still gazing out into the horizon. She didn't look up at him, when he didn't answer immediately, but waited.

            "To hide my true identity…to avoid people from recognising me as instantly as they normally would," he replied, turning his own head to face the waves again. She didn't reply, but stood there beside him, a silent statue to the world. She was wearing a cloak similar to his, and a pack which carried the blanket he had given her, these items he had promised to buy, he had had the chance of purchasing once they had boarded the ship. They stood there, in silence, watching the waves as they progressed. 


	7. Visiting Ghosts

Final Fantasy VII:

Destiny of the One Winged Angel Chapter: 7 – Visiting Ghosts 

The winds had picked up speed lately, blasting in their faces and taking their breath with it. They had been riding for eight days now, and were currently traversing the mountains that lay between Junon and Midgar. They had hired three black chocobos once they had arrived at Junon, setting off almost immediately, having rested on the ship. They had crossed the plains, and had begun their trek up and across the mountains four days ago, and had been riding since then, stopping for respites every now and then.

            "Are you sure we're heading in the right direction?" Tifa yelled, the wind blowing in her face and dragging part of the sound with it. They were riding in single file, attached to each other with a length of rope, with Cloud in the lead, then Lumira and Tifa bringing up the rear.

            "Yeah, I'm sure of it, because I can feel the wind turning a bit warmer," Cloud replied, yelling back over his shoulder. Lumira sat silent and motionless, her eyes closed against the wind as it whipped her hair about her face. Some hours later, they were aware of the change in the incline of the land, they were beginning to descend, and so urged their mounts to speed up their pace. They reached the base by dusk, and so camped there for the night, taking turns to keep watch, with Cloud taking the first one.

            As he sat there, his back warmed by the fire they had, he could hear the sounds of the night creatures and the rustling of those looking for food. Among these noises, the soft sounds of their slow breathing could be heard as they slept. He turned his head to look over them, the flames casting silhouettes that danced across their gentle features. A pang of longing shot through him as he looked over at Tifa, the silhouettes altering her face to that of his beloved. He turned his head away, and drew his cloak tighter about him he could never forgive himself. He had allowed himself to be controlled, then some force within had countered the will, but not enough so that he could prevent her from being killed.

            "Aeris…" came the soft name as a tear ran down his face, "I never even had a chance to tell you how I felt about you…I hope you know I never let go…no matter what, the more I try to, the harder it is to let go…" his voice quavered with emotion, and he raised a hand and pressed it against his forehead, letting everything out. He gradually came out of his mourning, nights like these, when the full moon was up, he tended to lose himself.

He wiped at his tears, and then froze; he had heard a branch snap. His ears pricked up, the service they provided sharpening, as he searched for the source, there it was again, coming from his right. His hand idly went to the hilt of his sword, which lay beside him, the fingers riding over the indentations of the grip. He saw it then, a large creature, about the same height and build as the unidentifiable beast they had fought back near Nibelheim. He got into a crouching position, tightening his grip on the sword, as he watched the beast lumber in the direction it faced.

Cloud tested his chance to shuffle towards the sleeping girls, and then froze, as the beast's head turned, and two glinting eyes looked his way. He stood still, slowing his breath, and preparing himself for an inevitable battle, the beast's gash of a mouth widened and a guttural roar thundered out and charged towards him. Cloud scrambled up and ducked to the side, turning as he did so, clamping his free hand to the hilt of the Buster Sword and swung with all his might, a grunt escaped him as the blade connected with the beasts back. The beast cried in pain and anger, then turned, thrashing a clawed arm out at its prey. Being partially occupied by trying to free his sword, and being blocked away from the light offered by the fire, Cloud was unable to see the blow coming, and took it full on, thrown aside like a rag doll.

Tifa woke up at the sound of the beast's cry and looked up just as soon as Cloud body sailed through the air, and landed with a thud unmoving. Her eyes widened in horror as the beast grunted, then made its way towards him, apparently going to finish him off. She scrambled out of the blankets, pulling on her gloves as she ran to his aid, and casting a high level Fire attack at the beast. It had struck right where the Buster Sword jutted out, it cried again, and then turned to face its new assailant. It pulled back a clawed arm, ready to swipe as soon as she was within ranged, but she zigzagged and dodged, running up the studded limb as it embedded into the earth where she had previously been. She threw a kick to its head, then punched, grabbing hold of it from under the jaw. She threw herself up into the air, clasped onto the head with her free hand and twisted, a loud _crack_ resounding, as she twisted its short neck.

            The beast slumped, and fell forward, twitching once as it died. Tifa slid off of the dead creature and made her way towards Cloud, cradling his head on her lap and gently calling his name. He responded with a painful groan, he had been hit a bit hard, but was still alive. A small prayer of gratitude escaped her, as she hugged him to her, overjoyed that he was all right and hadn't died from the blow. He opened his eyes somewhat groggily, and smiled as he saw her relieved face.

"Cloud Strife, don't ever scare me like that again…" she said, her voice sounding her joy. He sat up and winced in pain, even though the beast had swatted him away, it had given him a few bruises, and possibly cracked ribs. "Come on, let's get back to Lumira, and I'll take a look at your bruises," she said, placing an arm under a shoulder and supporting him as they stood up.

            "Wait…" he said, then let go of her and made his way to the dead creature. He grimaced as he placed his hands about the hilt of his sword, which jutted out like a flag from its back, and pulled with all the might he could muster without further injuring himself. Tifa was there to catch him as he stumbled back, still partially dazed from the blow and together they made their way back to camp, finding Lumira still fast asleep.

~*~

They were nearing a large set of ruins, with lots of yellow flowers beginning to bloom about it. Odd as it was, there was only one lone structure that still stood, if barely. It was here that the flowers seemed to be rooting from.

            "What is this place?" Lumira asked, as they rode at a gallop towards the metal structures.

            "This is Midgar," Tifa replied, "but this isn't where we've been headed all this time," she added, as she caught the young girls startled look. From the structures, it was evident that it had once been the centre of all business, but it was hard to tell that such a prosperous city had been divided into two – the slums and the upper plates. They rode past the structures, and came into view of their true destination, another city, but smaller in comparison to the ruins. It wasn't that far, and didn't boast its success with large metal formations; there were no reactors in sight, the city living off of another from of energy that had been discovered.

            "This is New Midgar, our proper destination," Cloud informed, as Lumira gazed in partial awe. He looked on and saw that the city was near the sea line, and could have extended out onto it, judging by the way it was set, and having been here before, he knew that the new source of power they had was water energy. Using the force created by the waves and converting it into electricity, through the use of turbines and generators.

As they rode towards it, they could see a small port to the southwest, hugging the shore. There was a trader's ship that had just arrived from the north, having traded some of its goods with the people in Bone Village. 


	8. A Chance Encounter

Final Fantasy VII:

Destiny of the One Winged Angel Chapter: 8 – A Chance Encounter 

A light rain had begun to start as they made their way to New Midgar; the two of them had brought up the cowls of their cloaks. The streets were busy, cars drove here and there transporting goods and animals, people began to rush home, or to nearby cover to keep themselves from getting wet.

            "The person at Information did say that the Inn was somewhere down here…can you see it?" Sephiroth asked his quiet and reluctant companion. She lifted an arm and pointed ahead at a sign that clearly depicted a bed, and was bearing the title 'Midgar Inn, B & B'. "At least one of us can see things in this weather," he said, a hint of a smile expressed in his words. He had meant it as a light comment, to try and get her to say something, but it didn't appear to work, so they walked towards the Inn and entered it, shaking off the droplets of water that had gathered on their cloaks. The building was well kept and beautifully furnished, it was carpeted and the whole atmosphere gave off a cosy, home-like feel to it.

            "Good afternoon, how may I help?" the woman at the counter asked, catching Sephiroth's attention. The woman was fairly tall and quite slim; she had mid-length brown hair, with strands of grey and warm brown eyes. Sephiroth stepped up to the counter, pulling the cowl down, and returned the warm smile. Aeris followed and stood slightly behind him, but did not remove her cowl.

            "Good afternoon to you too, ma'am, I was wondering, do you have two single rooms available for my friend and I?" he asked.

            "I'm sure we do," she replied, checking her computer records, "ah yes, we do, it's 75Gil per person, per night, and it also includes meal services, if any…how long do you wish to stay for?" she asked, still looking at the screen, so that she was ready to input the details.

            "Umm…is a week okay?" Sephiroth asked, looking at Aeris for an opinion.

            "I suppose it is, it's really up to you," she replied, her tone nonchalant. At the sound of her voice, the woman looked up, her face a mask of hidden surprise and hope. "Is something the matter?" Aeris asked, after a moment of pause, her tone slightly different than before.

            "N-no…I just thought for a moment that I had met you somewhere before…but I must be mistaken…" the woman answered, brought out of her state of misdirected hope, "a week was it?"

            "Yes," Sephiroth answered, still looking at Aeris, something had happened he didn't quite understand. Her tone had been slightly harsh with him, but gentler with the woman, he supposed was the innkeeper, was there a connection between them he wasn't aware of.

            "Right…that will be 1,050Gil please," she said, the smile back on her features. He paid the price asked, and in return had been given two keys with consecutive numbers. "Your rooms are located on the first floor, as you can see the stairs are through there…should you need anything, just let me know, my name is Elmyra, have a pleasant stay,"

~*~

"Cloud! Tifa! It's been so long, how've you guys been?" came the overjoyed and gruff exclamation of Barrett Wallace. The two had entered the new 'Seventh Heaven' bar, Lumira following behind, as she was shy around new faces. "Oh, and who have we got here?" he asked, catching a brief glance of the girl before she hid behind Clouds back. Barrett was a big man, dark in skin and a little rough in his vocabulary, and so easily intimidated her. "Cloud…is she…?" he began, but trailed off as he tried to figure out who she was.

            "No Barrett, she isn't my daughter…Lumira, come on and say 'Hi', he won't bite, if anything, he's a sweet old man under all that rough exterior," Cloud said, saying the last few words with a sly smile.

            "Old?! Why you son of a –" Barrett began to exclaim, but was cut off as Tifa chimed in.

            "We've been well Barrett, how've you and Marlene been?" she asked, standing forward and embracing her former employer. He returned the embrace and smiled warmly.

            "We've been good, sure it hasn't been the same, but hey, its better than when the ShinRa was around," he replied, his tone soft and full of content, "well, kid, you gonna tell me who you are so I can treat you like family, or not?" he prompted, with a gentle grin.

            "Um…good afternoon sir, my name is Lumira…um, how do you do?" she asked, stumbling over her words as she stepped forward and bowed in greeting. Barrett blinked, then laughed a hearty and amused laugh.

            "Not many polite folk like you around these days, shame you had to end up hangin' with a guy like Strife, here!" he bellowed, taking extra relish at Clouds surprised exclamation, contradicting his announced view of the mercenary. He stepped forward and held out his left hand in greeting, the right one still grafted with a gun. Lumira took it and they shook hands.

            "Hey, um…why don't you guys get cosy here, I've got to go and do something…give my love to Marlene, okay," Cloud said, dropping his bag on the floor and making sure his sword was secure.

            "Hey, you gonna up and leave, just like that?! Without relaxing for a bit?" Barrett exclaimed, but his words weren't heard as Cloud had walked right out the door just as he had opened his mouth, "damn Strife,"

            Cloud stepped out into the streets, the rain beginning to get a little harder. He drew up his cowl, and walked down the water-slicked roads towards the chocobo stables. As he walked down the paved pathways, lost in his thoughts, he walked into a tall man, who too had a cloak, the cowl pulled over his head.

            "Oh, excuse me…" Cloud said, looking up into the cowl, but unable to see the face of the man he had walked into.

            "Please, don't be sorry, I should have seen where I was stepping," the man replied, the sound of his voice passing a momentary frown over Clouds face, it sounded pretty familiar, but where from. Cloud nodded and smiled, then continued on his way, he hired a chocobo at the stables, and rode towards the ruins of Midgar. The attack of Holy, all those years ago had completely destroyed the city, and would have destroyed Gaia with it, if the Lifestream hadn't been summoned by his beloved to protect it. He rode towards the only remaining building, or what was left of it anyway. He dismounted and tethered his mount to a pole that jutted out from the ground, thrown from some other building and had landed, embedding itself at the ground by the ruins he stood before.

            Flowers, yellow petals gleaming in what was left of the sunlight, covered the area, sourcing from the healthy soil that was signified by the only path of green moss and grass in the whole area. He entered the place, pulled back the cowl and looked about, the scent filling his nostrils and rushing into his lungs. There were vague boards that still stood; to know that this had once been a church, one would have to have been here before the destruction. Cloud stood there, closed his eyes and sent his mind back, revisiting the moment he had first come here, lying on that soft bed of green, smelling the same scent as he smelled now. Then there were those eyes and that sweet, angelic voice, chiming into his consciousness, forever imprinting themselves in his memory. He could see her now, the luscious brown hair, tied in a simple ponytail, her innocent form filled his mind and he almost fell to his knees with the power of the memory, and the pain that followed as what had happened followed.

            A sound caught his attention, interrupting his thoughts, and he turned about to see to young children. They had just entered their teens, a boy and a girl, seeming to be siblings, although one the boy had blond hair, while the girl had brown. They had the same gray eyes, and looked at him with a moment of questioning then recognition.

            "Aren't you the flower lady's friend?" the boy asked, somewhat tentatively. Clouds eyes flicked to the boys hands, and saw that they were clamped over a can of water. He opened his mouth to reply, but the girl had opened hers first.

            "No, Remy, its not him, her friend has black hair, remember," she whispered, keeping her eyes fixed on the blond man before her.

            "No…don't you remember, the one that fell through the roof, you know the one that the lady said she had to go with, before telling us to take care of the flowers," he said, his tone insistent, "you are him, aren't you?" he asked again. The girl looked at Cloud more intently this time, and her eyes widened in realisation.

            "Yeah…that's me, I'm Cloud, what about you?" he asked, walking over to them.

            "My names Remy, and this is my sister Silia," the boy replied, his face beaming with his accurate recognition, "we still come to look after the flowers, even thought people kind of make fun,"

            "They don't make fun! They're jealous because we've been given a big responsibility, all they call us are the 'Flower Lady's Kids', to be honest I kind of take it as a compliment," the girl said, her tone defiant, evidently even though she had just entered her teens, she was not as old as her brother, and her mind was still young.

            "Too true, you should take it as a compliment, Aeris was a very special person…mind if I take a few of these flowers, I know someone who would love a few," Cloud said, patting the girls head. She giggled and nodded, her brother smiled his consent and Cloud smiled in return. He turned and went towards the main bed and picked up two flowers, while the children began to do their duty to tend the garden.

            "Hey, tell me, who was the black haired person you were talking about?" he asked, stopping at the entrance and turning back. The two stopped their work and looked at each other, then at Cloud.

            "He never said who he was, only that he was her friend…" Remy answered, then caught Clouds questioning look, as he was about to ask more, "he was tall, and had long black hair…he also had an unusual mark on the centre of his forehead, kind of like a black spot, but I'm not sure, I never asked about it," a frown passed over Clouds face, then he smiled, dismissing his suspicions.

            "Thanks, from both me and Aeris, you're doing a great job," he said, and then left, mounting his chocobo and headed towards the outskirts of the ruined city. The children smiled at his compliment and returned to work.

            Cloud rode towards an outcropping of land, which jutted out from a hill. He had come here on many occasions; it had once been the perfect vantage point to look over the outward splendour of Midgar City, but now it was a place to look over the ghosts that had once been a city. However, this was not the reason he had come.

~*~

It was still raining, when Sephiroth had walked towards the chocobo stables and hired a chocobo for wherever it was he was being pulled to. He had left Aeris at the Inn, reluctant as she was, but he had to, he couldn't take her with him, even if they were bound. As he had stepped out onto the street, a man had walked into him, and had apologised, but as he had left, he had felt a certain familiarity, even though their face was hidden as he hoped his was.

He pulled himself out of his thoughts and focused on the landscape, he was nearing the ruins of the city they had been able to see from the port, and had passed on their way to New Midgar. The name of these ruins was Midgar, as it was the former city that the new one represented. He had heard this from the people working at the port, and had picked up on some information regarding the history of the ruins, finding out that it had been destroyed by some pure force, which was repelled by what was known as the 'Blood of the Planet'. He could vaguely remember the events, since he had been dead at the time, and his soul reclaimed at that moment, and knew that the 'pure force' was Holy, the same power that had destroyed Meteor, and the 'Blood of the Planet' was the Lifestream.

            He guided his mount towards a hill that jutted out into an outcropping, a place he had heard was once the best place to view the splendour of the city of Midgar, but now just overlooked the ruins. He dismounted, leaving the chocobo at a patch of greens, and walked the rest of the way to the top. His Masamune was tucked in its scabbard, which was still secured to his back; he tested its ease should there be a confrontation, and continued his ascent.

            He had just about reached the top, when he paused, there was someone else here, and they were speaking, whether to themselves or someone else, for he could not hear a second person. Sephiroth peeked tentatively past the boulder he was hiding behind, and saw a man kneeling down in front of a mound of earth, with a single board erected in marking and remembrance. The man was wearing a cloak, but there was no way of telling if they had their cowl up, because they were bent over in their work, whatever they were doing.

Unexpectedly, they sat back, and Sephiroth jumped back behind the boulder, in case they were getting up to leave. He waited, and the man never came, so he took a second look and saw they were still there, only sitting down but still talking. They had their cowl down, and he could see that they had blond hair, spiked up in numerous quills, a single stud glinted from the left ear, and he knew that this was the man that he had run into outside the Inn, even though the voice was slightly muffled by the rain that continued to fall, he could still recognise it.


	9. Confrontation

Final Fantasy VII:

Destiny of the One Winged Angel Chapter: 9 – Confrontation 

"I really owe you my life, you know that…I just wish that things could have turned out differently…" he said, the rain patting into his hair as it fell from the dark clouds above. Cloud ran a hand through his hair, and tilted his head back, unaware of the form that spied from behind. "Oh, I almost forgot, I got you something from her garden," he exclaimed, straightening and pulling out a flower from his belt, "see, she planted them herself, and they've practically covered the whole place now," he commented as he placed the bloom of yellow at the base of the board. Cloud jumped as thunder clapped and a blast of lightning followed, some miles away. "Well, Zack, it's been nice talking to you…I'll see you again when I see you," he said, standing up and turning back to face the way he had come. He paused, something had caught his eye, "Who's there?" he asked, stepping forward to see if what he had seen was real, or a trick, "Come out, I know you're there," he bluffed.

            Seeing that he had no choice, and that he would still be discovered if they had walked passed him. He took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the boulder, at about the same time as a lightning bolt struck, the sound of thunder and its crack made him flinch inside, a reaction he did not show on the exterior.

            Cloud looked at the man, his eyes widened in surprise, he hadn't counted on the person just walking out from behind their place of hiding with such ease, and showing no sign of tentativeness. The surprise subsided, and suspicion settled in.

            "Aren't you the guy outside the Inn?" he asked, his tone displaying the fact that he was unsure. The cloaked figure stood there, seeming to hesitate a moment.

            "I am…" he replied, sighing as he did so, "I came here for the view…I'm a tourist and came to view the ruins of Midgar," he lied quickly, catching the odd look that was given him.

            "O-kay…I'm Cloud, and you are…?" Cloud said slowly, and prompting the man, he didn't trust him; his reply had seemed a little smooth.  Who would want to come over to this place to view these ruins, it wasn't a pretty sight and only flowers grew all over the place.

            "The name's Se- I mean Gabe," he replied, after a moment of hesitation. He had a bad feeling about this man, who had introduced himself as Cloud, he felt that if he revealed his true name and his appearance, something bad was going to happen. He also couldn't deny a sense of union, or rather companionship and familiarity with this man, they had met somewhere before and it was that feeling that gave rise to his hesitance.

            "Well, Gabe…aren't you going to remove the cowl, I mean the rain's not that bad," Cloud said, folding his arms and taking a step forward. The rain had become lighter, but the thunder and lightning were still present, booming and cracking every now and then. A knot had formed in his gut, something wasn't right about this man, in fact it was the whole scene that sent unease washing through him. He also couldn't shake off the feeling that he had met him somewhere before, the voice of course sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it without the face, and the name didn't sound right either, _'He sounds a lot like Sephiroth, but it can't be…he died five years ago, I was there,'_

            At that moment a bolt of lightning struck, somewhere behind them, in the direction of the ruins, lighting the whole area up. The man had frozen, no longer looking at Cloud, but at something past him.

            "Tut-Tut, Cloud, don't you know your General when you see him," an all too familiar voice said, in mock disappointment.

~*~

They had just reached the stables as soon as a cloaked figure had ridden off, it was hard to catch who they were since their cowl was pulled up, just like theirs. They supposed it was for the same reason as well, to keep them from getting wet.

            "What can I get you miss?" the stable owner asked, catching the desperation in Tifas eyes, as she pulled down her cowl.

            " A chocobo please, your best as well," she said quickly, the owner nodded and went to fetch the birds, "Lumira, I strongly suggest you stay here, I have a bad feeling about this and I need you to be safe in case something bad happens,"

            "Make that two!" the young girl called as the owner took out one, "Tifa, I'm sorry, but I'm coming with you, whether you like it or not, I'm still coming…like I said back at Nibelheim, I'm coming with you wherever you're going, because I have a feeling that I have to be here…" she said, turning on her friend with a serious look, as she pulled her cowl down.

            Tifa looked at her, a mix of emotions crashing together, confusing her, but only one she knew and that was that Cloud would never have let her come, if his feeling was as strong as hers. She knew where he had gone and was planning on following as soon as Lumira had settled in, but she couldn't stall any longer.

            "Okay, you can come, but at the first sign of danger, you have to promise me that you'll mount the nearest chocobo and leg it back," she said, conceding to the young girls determined expression, which at the sound of this news broke into an elated grin.

            "Oh, thank you Tifa! I promise that I'll return as so as trouble hits!" she cried joyfully, and throwing her arms about the older woman's neck in an embrace. The owner returned with the two mounts, they paid the price asked for and they mounted and rode in the direction that the cloaked figure before them had gone in.

~*~

"I-it can't be…you're dead…" Cloud stammered, stepping back involuntarily, but at the sound of these words, he hardly believed them himself. The figure that stood before him, as he had turned to face the speaker, was tall, just slightly taller than him, but shorter than the cloaked figure that watched by the boulder. He had black hair that was spiked into quills at the front, but straight at the back, falling just past his shoulders. His eyes were dark and he wore similar clothing to what Cloud was wearing, but instead of the blade he normally wielded, he held a long blade, shorter than the Masamune.

            "Oh…you're looking at this?" the man inquired, gesturing to the blade that Cloud was looking at, "it's a Nodachi…I was given it when I woke up…but I believe you currently hold what is truly mine," he finished, the last words being hissed. Cloud had continued stepping back without realising it, and only came into awareness when his back came into contact with the firm chest of the tall figure behind him. He twirled about, a mix of fear and shock in his eyes as he looked into the hood of cloak, but still he could not see if what was said was true, that the man under this was his former General and one time friend, turned foe. "Look at me Cloud, not at him! He is merely a confused ghost sent back to interfere with what should have been!" the man cried behind him, his voice commanding.

            He turned about a bit too slowly, a flash of silver glinted through the near darkness, rain still patting down accompanied by the occasional roll of thunder and a distant flash. He believed that the blade was going to cut through him, he couldn't possibly react fast enough to counter the blow, but the thin sliver of the blade froze in the air, just in front of his face with a sharp metallic 'clang'. It took Cloud a moment to realise that the man behind him had reached for his blade and had parried the blow, protecting him, _'If this really is Sephiroth, he wouldn't have blocked that blow…'_ he thought.

            "I may not know your name, but if I was once your General, which I am sure I was, you should know that I frown upon such dishonourable acts, such as this," he said in a dangerous voice. Cloud's eyes widened, _'It is him…but it can't be…'_ the man laughed out loud.

            "A good retort, but still that was a long time ago, there is no SOLDIER anymore, only the Guard, and they're half the fighters we were, excluding you of course, Strife," he barked, the laugh still in his words. At the last word, the man now supposed to be Sephiroth, pushed back with his blade and the man staggered back, Cloud took the chance to roll out of the way and unsheathe the Buster Sword.

            "Zack was my friend! Whoever you are, you're not him!" he cried, getting into a ready stance. The man laughed again, this time harsher and more menacing.

            "Oh, but I am…and you know it, I've just been given a chance to live again," he said, shaking his hair of the rain that dampened it. No matter how much he tried to deny it, Cloud couldn't help but to consider the truth of his words, _'No, it's not true…Zack died a long time ago…there is no force that could bring him back, not even Sephiroth…this has to be a twisted joke,'_ A clash of blades rang through the air, bringing him back to his senses, the tall man had parried the blow from the other man, saving him again. Cloud swung his sword up, just as the tall man pulled back his blade and turned, getting ready to lay a blow, as the other charged, stepping out of the way as the long blade cut towards him, and brought his blade descending, only to meet with the edge of the Buster Sword. "Nice block Cloud, but really…put a little more effort, that's twice your superior had to protect you, it's a wonder you managed to kill him," he taunted.

            A blast of lightning travelled from the Buster Sword, trailing up and connecting with the Nodachi, sending its wave into the holder. The man cried in pain and surprise, stumbling back, but keeping a firm hold of his weapon. He glared through the rain that dripped into his eyes from his hair, and let out an enraged roar, swiping the blade in an upward arc. The blade missed by mere millimetres as Cloud jumped back, a sharp whistling cut through the air to his right, the man twirled and brought the blade up to meet with the long blade of his second adversary.

            "So…you are helping him out," he said, somewhat disappointed, "oh well, you will only suffer the same fate as him," with that he jumped back and prepared to leap in to attack. The tall man drew his sword back, and stepped out the way at the last minute of his adversary's assault, smashing the pommel onto the base of his neck. Cloud took the opportunity to charge in, he brought his sword up above his head, and slashed downwards, coming into contact with the wet earth where the man had once been, he turned just in time to block the blow the came towards him.

            "You aren't Zack!" he hissed through his teeth, he could almost feel the breath of his attacker, and could clearly see them at this close range. The similarity was uncanny, maybe it really was him, but if so, how.

            "Just keep telling yourself that," he chimed, a small self-indulgent smile playing across his face, as his eyes flashed with menace. He shoved Cloud roughly, using all his weight, and released one hand from his blade, landing a punch across the others face, sending him scrambling back, already unbalanced by the unpredicted shove.

            "Cloud!!!" a female voice shrieked as they came into view of the current battle. Cloud looked up at the sound of his name and saw Tifa, running towards him, her cowl flown back by the light wind that had joined the rain. His eyes narrowed as he saw Lumira's form, following behind, but on her tracks was someone else, but the cowl of their cloak obscured their features. Alarm shot through him, whoever they were, they were either in league with the person claiming to be Zack, or the one that had been claimed to be Sephiroth. He scrambled to his feet, only to be knocked down again by the dark haired man, he stood over him now, the Nodachi held above his head.

            "It was good seeing you Cloud, too bad we didn't have time to catch up face-to-face," he said, and the blade began its descent. Everyone at the scene cried 'No' at the same time, but only the tall man had run in, crying the word as he thrust his blade through the other mans back, the body slumping back onto his shoulder, "looks like you broke your own rule…Sephiroth…" he said, slumping down onto his side, as the blade was withdrawn. Cloud looked up at the tall form above him and caught a glimmer of his countenance as a flash of lightning broke the sky, before he could say anything screams of fear and alarm ripped through the air.

            They turned to see Tifa and Lumira, held by some creatures that too were unrecognisable as any beast they had met before. They were tall and spindly, their limbs practically bones. Their hands and feet each had three fingers and toes, their faces were gaunt and expressionless with no recognisable features. The sight was grotesque, and sent shivers upon them as a low, unearthly moan escaped the part of their faces that should bear a mouth.

            "Tifa! Lumira!" Cloud cried, rising to his feet, just as light exploded from the hands of the cloaked person that had arrived with them. The beams shot towards the beasts, but had no effect. The last glimpse he caught, before a sharp blow to the back of his head sent him falling into darkness, was of the tall man running towards the two monstrosities with his long blade, ready to strike and rescue the girls.

            "I believe I will finish you off another time, old friend, so I'll be taking what belongs to me and two beautiful ladies…oh and thanks for the flower…" the man said, his voice close to his ear, then vanished as he lost consciousness.


	10. Divergent Paths

Final Fantasy VII:

Destiny of the One Winged Angel Chapter: 10 – Divergent Paths 

White painted the area, chimes…musical, a fluttering of wings…black feathers floating down, impervious to the forces of gravity. Golden waves cascading as the figure landed, their wings folding. They turned about, slowly, and gazed with soft, but piercing blue eyes, washed through with traces of emerald.

            "My name is…" they began to say, but as their lips continued to move all sound had been lost. Then an argument broke through the strange scene, shattering this world and the person with it.

            Cloud awoke to the sound of voices, heated in confrontation, a moan escaped him and the sounds died down. A door opened, and footsteps seemed to leave, he lay there, eyes still closed, and then decided it was time to test them open. He did so and found that a single lamp lit the whole room. He heard the sound of rustling as the remaining person walked, somewhat tentatively towards where he lay. They were about to sit beside him, when the footsteps returned, but not alone.

            "He's awake…" the person who was beside him said, turning to face the newcomer who was brought by the one who had left. Cloud couldn't be bothered to turn his head, so continued to look at the dancing shadows cast by the single lamp.

            "Please…make sure he'll understand…" one of the figures asked, this one was a woman, and their voice…

            "Aeris…?" the name passed Clouds lips, he heard the door open and the shuffling of feet, he sat up quickly and a blast of pain shot through him, but he ignored it, if only to catch a glimpse, "Aeris!" he said more desperately, hoping beyond hope that it was her, but he couldn't see. Whoever it had been had gone through the door and shut it, he had only caught the briefest glimpse of a cloak, and that was it. A hand rested on his shoulder, easing him back down onto the bed, he continued to look at the door.

            "Cloud, I need you to look at me so I can make sure you're okay," the person said. He obliged, somewhat reluctantly, and looked upon the face of a man he hadn't seen since Aeris had first left him. He was barely recognisable, clad in a sleeveless blue jacket over a white sleeveless shirt, black jeans and brown boots. His face was the only recognisable feature of who he was, long black hair fell past his shoulders, dark eyes concentrated on his and the distinctive black mark in the centre of his forehead, realisation suddenly hit him.

            "Tseng…you've been the one helping out at the gardens…but how?" he asked, allowing the other to check the bandages about his ribs, the ones that Tifa had applied. He still felt a bit groggy from the blow he had received, and had no idea how long he had been asleep.

            "Well…I owe it to her…" Tseng replied, testing the bruises on his torso. Cloud winced in response, and the other nodded, reapplying the bandages after rubbing in a soothing salve, the vapours seeping into his flesh.

            "What do you mean?" he asked, keeping careful so as to not let his guard down, after all he knew next to nothing about this man who helped him, despite their past. An amused smile played across Tsengs face, as he felt Cloud tense beneath his hands.

            "Hey, its not like I enjoy doing this sort of thing, if I had my way I'd be tending to a woman right now," he stated, somewhat lightly. Cloud relaxed a bit, comforted that the other wasn't taking any pleasure in this, any more than he did receiving the treatment, "to answer your question…it was her people, her kin that brought me back…" he caught Clouds questioning look, and sighed before continuing, "you remember I was killed by Sephiroth, or rather left for dead, I died shortly after being found by you and giving you the Keystone…my body was never recovered, because it had been encased and taken into another realm," he paused to test the firmness of the bandages, frowning slightly as he did so, "well, anyway, the spirits of the Ancients were responsible for that, after the Temple became the Black Materia, the realm no longer existed and I was in the Lifestream…or rather my spirit was, since my body was where I woke up, in the forest outside the Temple, still encased in magic,"

            "How long…have you been awake?" Cloud asked, as Tseng tied the ends of the bandages, making them secure.

            "It's been about six months now…most of that time was spent getting back to civilisation, and living under a false name," he paused for a moment, checking Clouds ocular responses to light, and some of his reflexes, then sensing he was going to ask another question, he continued with his explanation, "they allowed me to be sent back, for a reason I cannot repeat, I wasn't even sure if the incident was to take place anytime soon, but now I think…" he paused again, this time to lift up Clouds head and inspect the back of it, "this time I think that my previous thoughts were wrong, they sent me back just in time…" he ended, and spotted the bruise that was still prominent against his fair skin. He applied some of the salve there as well, and allowed his patient to lie back down, blinking in surprise.

            "Just in time…what do you mean?" Cloud asked, sitting up and resting against the headboard. The former Turk appraised the mercenary for a moment, and then sighed.

            " '…Balance will be thrown, dead will rise and walk as though living…' ", he quoted, not knowing that the same words had been spoken to another, "it means that something is going to happen that will break the laws of balance in this world, whatever it is, it obviously seeks to destroy this place, but why is something I can't answer…all I know is that the processes that take place will be less swift and painless than when Meteor was a threat," he explained, catching Clouds uncomprehending look, which hardened into a look of deep thought then a chilling glare, as the words sank in.

            "He's alive, isn't he…he's back," he said, the words dripping with ice and hatred. Tseng looked at him a moment, then stood and made his way to the door.

            "That is something I cannot tell you myself, for with that knowledge a reason must accompany it, rest for now, I'll see you later," he said, then left, leaving the lamp on. Cloud sighed irritably, and then lay back down, pulling the covers up over his bare torso and tried to sleep. It was difficult, his thoughts were plagued with new items of information and he couldn't sort them all, _' "…Balance will be thrown, dead will rise as though living…", hah, seems like its already happening, I've just met three people who should be dead, but walk as though living…but what if Aeris is back…'_ what if she was, would he have to condemn her as one of the people who should be dead, _'No…she never did deserve to die in the first place, not like that anyway,'_ he thought, then closed his eyes and drifted off, the thoughts still inside his mind, but being slowly shoved to one side as weariness took over him.

~*~

"I told you not to follow me," Sephiroth said, his tone harsh. He had been pacing back and forth, since they had gone into his room, since Cloud had awoken from his deep sleep. It had been only a few hours since they had been confronted by that dark haired man who claimed to be Zack, whoever it had been though, they had taken off with the two girls that were held by those beasts. He had been a fraction of a second too late, they had vanished to god knows where, just as his blade barely came into contact with the beast nearest his right. At about that time, a man had come running up the slope, his hair soaked through with the rain, since he had removed his cowl to view the scene more clearly.

            "I've already told you, I am bonded to you, and as such I go where you go, even if its only a few miles," she stated flatly, they had returned to the Inn, Sephiroth carrying the limp form of Cloud, while the man who had introduced himself as Tseng, followed closely behind. Aeris had picked up the blade left by the man, who had taken the Buster Sword in exchange, and left it at Clouds bedside. Their cowls were down now so they could see each other clearly; the overhead light was switched on here, unlike Clouds. Sephiroth had stopped pacing and glared at her, the anger at his order being ignored evidently shown.

            "Aeris…" he began, running a hand through his short hair, no longer expecting it to be longer than it once was, "I know we're bonded…but it doesn't mean you have to go through the dangers I place myself in," he ended, the tone of his voice gentler, his eyes going softer. He tried to understand her point of view, and it wasn't hard, to be bound to the person who had taken your life was the worst thing imaginable, but it didn't mean you had to take its literal meaning. She looked at him passively, understanding his words, but not caring.

            "Sephiroth, I don't really care what you have to say, I may be bound to you because you were the one who brought me back, but it doesn't mean that you have the right to dictate my actions," she said, her tone still cold, the words jabbing at him like knives. He looked at her, a mixture of pity, sorrow and sincere regret for his actions shining in his eyes, she was taken aback by this open display of his emotions, and misunderstood them for something else, "Sephiroth…I can never love you, you know that, whatever thoughts you may have of us being together…" the words trailed off, as his eyes softened further.

            "How can I ever love you, when your heart belongs to another, namely the man next door…" he said, a gentle smile playing over his features. She had never travelled with him before, never known him before this time, so it was understandable that she should misinterpret his emotions when displayed. Lost for a response, silence lingered between them, the only sound being that of the clock, ticking the seconds away.

            "H-how do you know…that I love another?" she asked, her voice losing its customary ice, which had settled over her words since she had worked out who he was mere moments after meeting him. He made his way to the waist-high chest of drawers, and leaned against them, his elbows propped over the top.

            "I heard you…whispering his name in your sleep, you must have really loved him, I only wish I had the chance to experience such a feeling before my death…although, there happens to be someone who probably loves me, but I'm not sure on my feelings for her…" he replied, the words trailing off as he remembered the kiss she had given, his first kiss, yet not how he had always imagined it to be. Aeris shifted uncomfortably, she hadn't been aware of speaking in her sleep, but then again it was odd to be finding herself here discussing the matter of love with the man who had separated her from Cloud. "Strange, I thought you loved Zack," he said suddenly, taking her off guard.

            "Zack…how…" she trailed off, unable to say anything that seemed relevant. He smiled again, and let his head hang back momentarily, displaying his weariness after the battle and travel.

            "You know…he would always go on about you, how you were the light in his life, the one thing good enough to die for…he even admitted to you being the one thing that kept him going, kept him alive in the battles we faced," he said, somewhat wistfully, she swallowed, she had had some idea of her worth to the man who had rooted from Gongaga, but never had she guessed that he used to share his feelings with his comrades, "I guess, that's why I feel that I have to make sure nothing happens to you, to keep you safe and out of harms way so that you could return to Cloud…and be happy," he ended, locking his eyes onto hers, the sincerity within them shocking her. She stood up, feeling uncomfortable about the current situation, rousing him from his relaxed position.

            "No, its okay, I'll see myself out…" she said, her tone anxious, as she stepped to the door and opened it. He stayed where he was, respecting her wishes. "Good night," she whispered, looking into his eyes, taking him aback since this was the only form of politeness he had received from her since he could remember.

            "Good night…" he responded, as she turned to go, nodding once, and then left, closing the door. The whole thing was a bit unnerving, Aeris had just shown him a sign of politeness, but he could sense that she too was a bit surprised by their conversation, she hadn't counted on him having feelings as acute as anyone else's, after all he was supposed to be tyrant, _'But not anymore…there is no Jenova, and as such I am able to repent in the only way I can…'_

~*~

Two days had passed since the battle and subsequent abduction of Tifa and Lumira, the days were spent with Cloud mainly healing both mentally and physically, for in a mere few hours what he had believed to be true for five years, had now been destroyed. He rose out of bed, feeling much better, the ribs practically healed, even though the broken ones still needed some time, but were less bothersome now than they were before. Throughout the time he rested, his only visitor was Tseng, and sometimes one of the other two, although they were always cloaked with their cowls up, and they never spoke a word. It had been practically isolating, but he was determined to leave today and begin his mission to rescue the girls.

            He stepped out into the hall, fully dressed after having washed and showered, he made his way downstairs, his cloak trailing behind him and the Nodachi at his waist, he needed to buy a scabbard for his new weapon, and he also needed to get accustomed to its use.

            "Good morning, Cloud," he turned at the sound of his name and saw an all too familiar face looking at him from behind the counter, even though she had aged some, she still held her motherly nature.

            "Elmyra…how good to see you," he said, stepping over to her and clasping her hands in his, "you have no idea how much I needed to see someone, especially you after so long," she smiled in return, and looked past him at something that was behind. He turned and saw the cloaked figures, cowls up, hiding their features, and Tseng, who too was cloaked.

            "Cloud, its time we talked," the tallest of the three said, stepping forward. Cloud turned and faced Elmyra, and gave her a sad smile.

            "Don't worry…I'm sure we'll have time to catch up soon," she said, her voice hiding her disappointment, while her eyes betrayed it. He nodded, and then made his way towards the trio, Tseng opened the door and they stepped outside into the open.

            "This way," Tseng said, before Cloud could say anything to the other two. He followed, nestled between the two cloaked figures, as Tseng led the way. They walked through numerous streets, all the while seeming to get away from the heart of the city. Passing markets and monuments, as well as a theatre advertising for its current and future productions. It appeared that nobody seemed to notice the odd group of people, cloaked even in this pleasant weather, passing by to some unknown location, that only the leader knew. Soon the buildings began to get smaller as they appeared to be entering the residential area, no longer tall and grand, only a few tall buildings dotted the place, most likely flats. "Here," Tseng said, the only word that had been spoken since they began this trek. He had stopped outside a house, which looked just like any other, and took out a key and opened the door. "Make yourselves comfortable…this is my house after all," he said, closing the door once they had all entered. The interior was well decorated, with polished wooden floorboards and the best furniture that only the richest most likely owned. "Can you believe my account is still active, even after I've been pronounced dead," he commented, leading them towards the living room.

            Here he took a seat on one of the couches, and gestured for the other three to pick a seat.

            "Why are we here…or rather why am I here?" Cloud asked, once everyone was seated. He looked shiftily from one person to the other, not knowing what to do or how to present himself without seeming distrustful. Without hesitating, the tallest of the two still cloaked, who Cloud knew to be a man since he could recognise him from the battle they had shared, stood and pulled back their cowl. He sucked in a breath as what he had feared came true, platinum strands fell out and framed the ageless face of his one time friend and General. Although his hair was no longer past waist length, the eyes still held that mysterious sheen, given off by the Mako treatment all SOLDIER candidates underwent, "Sephiroth…" he hissed and fought the urge to launch himself at the man that had caused him so much pain, the scars still unhealed.

            "Cloud…" he said simply, his tone low and devoid of the madness it had held all those years ago, "we meet at last, face-to-face," his appearance seemed sombre, his eyes beseeching and presenting his naked feelings of regret and despair at what had happened between them. For a mild moment Cloud considered comforting the man, but the thought was eliminated immediately, _'If its forgiveness he wants, he's looking at the wrong person, I can never forgive what he had done, nor accept any form of recompense,'_ he thought bitterly. Sephiroth looked taken aback, evidently the mercenary had been unaware that he had revealed his feelings, the Archetypes breaking through without being willed to. "I see the scars have not healed…"

            "Nor will they ever be, so long as you exist to plague my life…why can't you just die," he growled in response, his tone expressing his dark feelings for the man.

            "Cloud…" he began, his expression pained, "I know you're going to go after Zack –"

            "He is not Zack," the other interrupted. The former General looked at him, his expression hard.

            "You'd like to believe that wouldn't you…" he sighed, as Cloud glared at him, "you never did like anything that didn't go your way, just like how I'm here right now and you don't like it, you have to start expecting the –"

            "Don't tell me what I can and cannot expect! You lost your authority over me ten years ago!" the other roared, jumping to his feet and coming close to Sephiroth, so that they almost shared the same breath, "When you burnt down Nibelheim…" the taller man just looked at him, his face heating up with the shame of that memory.

            "That was a long time ago, but not a day goes by that I don't catch myself regretting all those lives…" he whispered, his voice barely audible for fear of revealing emotion.

            "How do I know that you're telling the truth, how do I know that you're not just scheming something and using me as your puppet?!" he cried, stalking away from him and spitting the last word out as though it was distasteful, "after all, you did say to expect the unexpected and always assume the worst of your enemy…" he hissed, turning back to the platinum haired warrior.

            "Then, would you consider me your enemy…?" a soft voice asked, a voice that had taken him by sheer surprise he almost staggered with its memory. He turned, unable to make his voice work to face the second cloaked figure; their hands raised and hesitated, then slowly the cowl was pulled back to reveal a face he hadn't seen in five years, but was perfectly etched into his memory. The brown hair, green eyes and the sweep of her features, everything was the same, "I'm travelling with him…no matter what," she said, answering the question that formed in his eyes. The power of these words, crashing into him almost made him fall to his knees in disbelief, but he stood there dumbfounded, and then locked his gaze onto Sephiroth. He then charged, releasing a cry of fury, gabbed hold of the cloak about his neck and thrust him against the wall, still keeping his hold.

"You! This is all your fault! You took her away from me all those years ago, and now you're making sure that I never get to see her again!" he bellowed, slamming the older man against the wall with each statement. He drew back a fist and landed it fiercely against his face, Sephiroth wasn't even making an effort to avoid the blow, enraged further by this passive behaviour, the punishment continued, Cloud landed blow after blow of punches and ended with a knee to the mans gut and had to be dragged from the beaten form, still crying out profanities and trying vainly to land a kick. "Let go of me Tseng!" he cried, as Aeris went to Sephiroths side and helped him up, he let out another roar of anger as she did this.

            "There's no way I'm letting you go until you calm down!" Tseng grunted, as he dodged Clouds head as he tried to hit him in protest, "you have to trust me, he isn't here to cause any harm but to aid in the danger I was talking about," he said, his tone more gentler as he could feel him relaxing. He let go of Cloud, who just collapsed to his knees and pounded the ground in anger. Unable to watch him in this state, Aeris went towards him and helped him up, as Sephiroth was tended to by the former Turk.

            "Come on…we need to talk…" she said simply, and offered her support but found it rejected in a fierce manner.

            "Just lead the way…" he muttered, tears of anger still burning in his eyes. She nodded, and led the way to the back garden, where they stood out in the open, among the well-kept green grass. She turned to look at him, but was hurt to see that he would not meet her gaze, she cleared her throat, still he did not look up.

            "Well…long time no see…" she began, tentatively, he snorted in return, "Cloud, why are you being this way? It's not like I begged Sephiroth to being me to life, nor to take me with him," she said, beseeching his understanding. He looked at her, his gaze dark.

            "How can you travel with him, after what he did to you…" he hissed, his tone matching his gaze, she seemed taken aback, "I'd rather have killed myself again than to travel with him," she hesitated at his true statement, it wasn't like she hadn't considered the act, but still she couldn't do it.

            "We're bonded…" she said simply, trailing off as she couldn't think of anything more to say.

            "What is that supposed to mean, just because he brought you back your lives are entwined, so you go where he goes and die when he dies?" he asked, his tone mocking. She nodded, unable to say anything more to clarify the truth, "but you have another reason, I know you do," he said, reading her mind, after all he did know her, he had travelled with her and knew that simple reasons were not her true reasons.

            "He fascinates me…" she said, then caught his surprised and incredulous look, "I believe that he was sent back for an important reason, and I am going to bear witness to that reason, which is why I think I was brought back in the first place," she added, her tone strong and defiant. He looked at her, his gaze softening as he heard the truth of her words, but still deep inside, he wished that she could travel with him.

            "I wish…" he began, his voice faltering as he knew the inevitable, she stepped closer to him, "I wish…that I could go with you, but I can't trust him, nor myself around him…I hate him and as such, I wish to be away from him if not kill him," he said, his tone serious, and true. She wasn't taken aback by his words, for she felt the same way, but had to play with the cards that fate and destiny had dealt her, "Aeris…" she looked up at the sound of her name, and was met by firm hands on her shoulders as he placed his lips against hers, doing something he should have done years ago. Her hands trailed up his arms and rested at the shoulders, clutching with the need that had built up over five years of separation, they kissed with an undying passion. He allowed his hands to climb up into her hair, then fall back down, cupping her face and a few moments later, they parted still burning with the desire to be with each other, even though this wish could not be fulfilled under the present circumstances.

~*~

            "He punches really hard…" Sephiroth commented, as they waited for the two to return from their little chat from unauthorised ears.

            "I wouldn't know, but judging from the results I'd say you're right and that I'd hate to be in your position," Tseng replied, glancing quickly at the silver haired warrior that had put an end to his life.

            "Thanks, I wasn't hoping for such brutal truth," he sighed somewhat lightly, making it known that it was intended to be a joke. Tseng let out a short laugh to let him know he had caught on, "I'm sorry for what happened…for what I did to you…I don't expect you'd like to join me on my part of the journey, since I know Strife wouldn't dare to spend one second in the same area as me," the former Turk looked at Sephiroth, his eyes betraying his fair surprise at the statement.

            "I understand that you're not the same person you were five years ago, that much I learned in the Lifestream…but to answer your question, no I won't be going with you, Cloud needs someone, and since you have Aeris, it's only fair that I go with him for support," he replied, his tone even and practical. Sephiroth looked at him and nodded, then they both looked up as they heard footsteps returning to them, and caught sight of Aeris and Cloud walking side by side, a slight glow tingeing their cheeks.

            "We leave as soon as possible…I go my way, you go your way," Cloud announced, answering the question that he knew would be asked of them. He crossed the room and stood up close to Sephiroth, blue eyes boring into green, "I am doing the unthinkable with her life, trusting it to you…if you fail in that duty, you can be sure that I won't think twice before making you suffer then killing you," he hissed, his tone sharp and serious.

            "You have my word…which I know is not good enough for you, but I still give it," the former General said, matching the gaze with equal intensity. Tseng made his move and stood beside Cloud, while Aeris took her place beside Sephiroth.

            "I'm coming with you," he said, and Cloud looked at him, as though to measure his worth and potential, then nodded. The four of them stepped out of the house, and waited as Tseng locked up. Cloud stepped up to Aeris and looked at her reassuringly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

            "I'll see you soon, Aeris," Cloud said, the words more of a promise than a reassurance. He then turned and left once Tseng was done and made his way towards the centre of the city, where he needed to explain the situation to someone and prepare their supplies. Wordlessly, the remaining pair followed, but headed towards the Inn to gather their belongings and check out, before beginning their part of the same chapter.


	11. He Who Has Risen

Final Fantasy VII:

Destiny of the One Winged Angel Chapter: 11 – He Who Has Risen 

Eyes peered at the form, floating amidst the light green fluids of Liquid Mako. It had been developed to serve as a healing liquid to those exposed to Mako, it was still in its testing stages when Meteor had been a threat, and now that the substance had been perfected, there were hardly any subjects to use it on since SOLDIER had all but been dispersed and replaced by the new Guard. The liquid was a remarkable thing; it could be inhaled like air but would not kill. It would be taken up by the cells of the body, entering from both exterior and interior, since the subject had to be submerged in order for the Liquid Mako to work its wonders. Once taken up, it would seek out the damaged areas, or rather wounds to the body and begin its magic, accelerating the speed of regeneration using the materia particles still unformed, mainly tapping into the curative ones, while using the destructive to aid with the duty of the antibodies.

            The form stirred inside the tube, consciousness returning as he had collapsed once arriving with the two young ladies he had brought, with the aid of these experimental beasts. A snide smile touched the corners of the mouth of the one who watched the regeneration process take place, and turned to watch the beasts as they circled about the chained and unconscious forms of the women. These beasts ranged in size and shape, it was unknown how they had chosen what to be and how it was possible that they looked identical to each other. His smile grew as the memory of their agonising screams and cries rang in his ears, yes these things had once been human, and he had had the pleasure of shaping them into what they were, experimental subjects used in various experiments, the main being the development of the Liquid Mako. A curious frown flicked across his face, as he noticed one of the beasts that had brought the girls stand up and look at them, even if they had no expressions nor facial features, he swore that he could have seen a momentary warp in its appearance, as though it was returning to its original being, and that appearance had seemed so upset.

            "Feeling pity, are we?" his voice came, calm and mocking. The beast flinched and moved away from the girls, retreating to a corner. The man pushed back a strand of pale blond hair out of his eyes, and walked towards the place the beast had once been, "I know you were…you are after all, allowed to experience the emotions that once ruled your small mind, and I can see why you feel this way," he reached up a hand and stroked the smooth skin of the older woman, "so young and beautiful…and yet, this little one," he turned his attention to the younger girl, "is destined for a far greater future…she will do more horrific things than what I have done…" he trailed off, and looked at his hands then, admiring them as if to silently muse over the things these hands had allowed him to do. A sudden beeping roused him from his thoughts, and he turned to see the man awake as the Liquid Mako began to drain. "I see you have awakened, Zack," the other man said nothing as he stepped out of the platform as the containing tube sank down into the ground, its services no longer needed. He picked up a towel, which was offered to him by a small beast, its eyes large and orb-like. They were lidless and had no pupils; it was a small hunched being, its flesh a dead grey colour.

            "I see you have met the ladies," he said, his nose wrinkling in disgust as the creature scampered off into the darkness. He wiped at his body and joined the man who continued to gaze at the older woman; he placed the towel over his shoulders and continued to dry his hair.

            "Yes…she is beautiful, isn't she," he sighed, the words more of a statement, "a shame that I can't please her…" he said, bringing himself out of his thoughts and walked over to a set of control panels near to a row of other tubes, similar to the one Zack had come out of. The dark haired man glanced up at the sleeping woman's face, and then turned to the other man.

            "What happened?" he asked, "What did you mean by what you just said?"

            "Your clothes are on that table, over there," the other said, pointing to a table near what appeared to be the door, since it was more like a prison grate. He continued to tap at the buttons, doing whatever he needed to do, leaving the question unanswered. The other man simply shrugged and made his way to his belongings and wrinkled his nose in displeasure, as he found them to be in the same state they had been when he had arrived here.

            "You know, it wouldn't kill you to show a bit of hospitality," he commented, trying to find his under clothes. The man had brought him back from the grave many years before, carrying out a procedure that he had been working on. He had picked him as a suitable candidate, based on the records that were stored at the Nibelheim Mansion, and thought it wise to test out his experiment on a person who had had some previous Mako treatment. As he was about to say something on the blond mans sense of hygiene, one of the other small creatures came up to him, holding up a pair of newly cleaned boxers, "thanks…" he said, taking them from the outstretched arms. He tied the towel about his hair and began to dress himself, partially unhappy that his clean skin had to be soiled again and so soon.

            "Hojo did it…" came the announcement, the tone obviously signalling that the speaker was preoccupied. Zack looked up, a puzzled look on his face, when no reply came the man continued, "he made me one of his experiments when I was his apprentice…it left me sterile and unable to…" he trailed off, unable to finish the statement as it brought raw memories of pain and anger at his mentor, the person that had made him what he was now.

            "Harsh…that's horrible, Keane…" came Zack's barely audible response, pausing from his inspection of his long separated companion, the Buster Sword, and speaking after a few moments of silence so as to get over the shock of this disclosure. The other man let out a sharp humourless laugh.

            "I don't need your pity…I brought it upon myself, I was naïve and stupid…had I known…well, its all in the past now anyway…she's waking," he said, coming away from the control panel and stepping up to the chained forms. Zack followed suit, ending his inspection of the Buster Sword and placing it in its scabbard at his back. A small groan escaped the groggy form of the older woman, the younger one still unconscious and unaware of their surroundings. Her eyes opened blearily, unable to take in the unfamiliar scene surrounding her and wavered over the tall and slim figure of the blond haired Keane, then moved over to trail over the appearance of Zack.

            "Tifa…" the name flew softly from his lips, before he had a moment to consider the idea of naming her. Keane's gray eyes flicked over to the dark haired mans face, then moved back to the woman's as she groaned his name in response. Zack's expression hardened, and the momentary gentle countenance disappeared, "she'll be perfect for what you need…and ideal specimen to work on so as to get back at him," Keane smiled in response, he would be happy to try out his current experiment on her.

            "Zack…what…?" she said, unable to carry on, the drowsiness refusing to leave her. Zack stepped up close to her, placing his face close to hers.

            "He took what was mine, and I'll take what was his, but I'll let Keane play with you, after all I do owe him my life," he whispered, as he brought up a hand to stroke her smooth cheek. Her brow drew close together as she caught the look in the blond mans eyes, it was almost loving but full of something sinister. Zack snapped her head back to him, so that they had full eye contact, "I hope he won't hurt you…but that would be lying, his procedures can be quite…scarring," he mused, then gave her a quick peck on the lips, mocking her inability to defy him. He then stepped back and walked away, leaving the room to carry out some tasks that were set to him by his bringer.


	12. Old Allies

Final Fantasy VII:

Destiny of the One Winged Angel Chapter: 12 – Old Allies 

"What?!" a gruff voice exclaimed, heated in the emotions of anger and disbelief. Cloud dodged, as a glass of whisky aimed for his head smashed against the wall behind him. He barely had time to react, when a huge hand grabbed hold of him around the collar and slammed him against the wall where the glass had shattered. "You son of a bitch! Just what in Holy's name, how could you let this happen?!" Barrett raged, as he pushed his gun arm up under the blond mans chin.

            "Hey…Barrett…I couldn't do anything…" Cloud stammered, his eyes wide with fear and shock. He had seen the dark skinned man angry on countless times, but never had he seen him this angry. He risked a swallow, gulping back the rush of explanations that tried to fight their way out of his system. He wouldn't try to justify his inability to protect them; there was no way he could since he should have been able to protect them, regardless of his physical state.

            "Barrett…right," came the tentative tones of Tsengs voice, the big man turned on him with a snarl and withering glare to match, "Cloud was practically incapacitated, he couldn't have made it in time to rescue them," he continued, matching the others dark gaze coolly. Seeing that he couldn't win this argument by force, Barrett shoved Cloud roughly against the wall, then stalked off behind the counter. He picked out a shot glass to replace the one he had broken, and filled it to the brim with a mix of rum and whisky. He took a seat and downed the shot in one take, then began to fill up another.

            "Daddy…" came a gentle and meek voice, a little girl, she was no more than nine and had once had a mop of brown hair, which she had allowed to grow and was now brushing her shoulders. Her dark eyes against fair skin looked up into her fathers, as he met her worried gaze, "Daddy, I'm sure Cloud would have protected them if he was able to…and I know that he would do anything to go find Tifa and Lumira…" she said reassuringly. She had only had a few moments to meet the girl who was only a few years older than her, before she and Tifa had made off to find Cloud. Barrett's gaze softened and he looked back up at Cloud, who still stood against the wall beside the door. A momentary smile flashed across his face, as he took in the almost child-like fear Cloud held within him, his pupils were still pinpricks, and he looked ready to bolt at the first sign of hostility.

            "Come on Cloud, take a seat…I'm not going to hurt you, although I will if you don't order a drink…you take a seat too," the big man said, indicating the last comment to Tseng. Cloud removed himself from the wall, somewhat timidly and took a seat at the very end of the counter, keeping at least four seats between him and the former AVALANCHE leader. Tseng watched and stifled a small laugh, then made his way to a seat opposite to Barrett, who gave the blond an odd look along with an arched eyebrow, "come closer you fool," sensing that this was a private matter, Marlene left the company of the three men to go into the residential part of the bar.

            "Yeah, you're making an ass of yourself, so scoot up," Tseng added, backing Barrett's words up, while the dark man took out two more shot glasses and placed them by the former Turk. Clouds face flushed crimson at the humiliating words that were spoken, and so slowly made his way to a seat next to Tseng, as he ordered his drink of rum and vodka, with a hint of lime.

            "Plain iced vodka…with lemon," Cloud said, answering Barrett's questioning look, as he moved one of the two extra glasses towards him.

            "So, tell me again what happened, maybe I can help in someway," the dark man said as he poured the drinks and turned to retrieve fresh lemon and lime. When he placed the sliced fruit in the glasses, Tseng took his up and drank it after giving it a customary swirl, while Cloud looked at his in a distrusting manner.

            "Come on Cloud, drink it it's not like I drugged the fruit or anything…" Barrett said, somewhat perplexed by this behaviour. Feeling ashamed at his suspicion, Cloud took his up and followed suit with Tseng, swirling then drinking, "honestly…where has the trust gone, I mean you don't see a guy for five years and already he's someone to be stepped around with," he continued to say, as he refilled their glasses.

            "Well… in case you haven't already guessed, I'm Tseng," the former Turk said, as he took up his refill.

            "Yeah…thought I recognised you from somewhere…but I swear you died back at the Temple," Barrett answered, filling his own mix of rum and whisky, it appeared, to Cloud, that that was the only thing that kept Barrett from demanding what had happened in a violent manner, _'Well that and Marlene,'_ he thought, as he drunk his iced vodka. As they drank, Tseng and Cloud relayed the account of what had happened since Cloud had left two days ago, and how Tseng was back from the grave, so to speak. Barrett hadn't said a word throughout the whole thing, and so when they had finished their tale, it appeared for a moment that he would do something aggressive, since he had his one good arm clutched tightly about his shot glass, and his brow twitched above his closed eyes.

            "Um…Barrett…are you-" Cloud began to ask, his tone slow and tentative, but was cut off as he jumped back from Barrett's fist which had swung out and slammed at the spot where Cloud had just sat, shattering the glass that was still within his hand. Tseng just watched silently, unsure whether to interrupt as Cloud had done, then resorted to studying his partially empty glass.

            "Dammit Strife! Why does trouble seem to follow you everywhere?" he said, his gruff voice deliberately low as he struggled to keep it calm. Red blood had begun to bloom in his hand, forming small rivers that coursed its way down along the lines of his palm. He kneeled down behind the counter, and sounds of items being moved were promptly heard then ended, as the big man reappeared with a first aid kit. He popped it open and took out a roll of bandages and some antiseptic, Tseng offered his help and began to tend to the wound while Barrett simply looked puzzled for a moment, then continued, "I wish I could come with you, I mean this threat is obviously serious…but I can't come, I have to take care of Marlene…but what I can do is make sure that you're well equipped…how about going out to fetch a few things, and I'll have some stuff ready for you to take when you come back," he finished with a companionate smile, as Tseng tied the bandages and made sure it was secure.

            "Okay…" was all Cloud could manage as a response, as Tseng downed the last of his drink and went up to stand beside Cloud, before the two left the 'Seventh Heaven' bar and stepped out into the somewhat busy streets of New Midgar. "So…where to first…?" he asked, meeting Tsengs gaze.

            "Weapons…I need to check out the daggers," he said, then caught Cloud's questioning look, "I gave up using guns when I no longer became a Turk…besides I'm more adept at close range," he commented, adding a light smile to the statement. Cloud frowned as he tried to understand the humour, then his eyes widened in understanding, Tseng laughed as he caught the expression, but didn't grace him with the true meaning.

~*~

"I guess that's everything that we may need…I wonder what Barrett could possibly have that could be of use to us," Cloud wondered as they re-entered the brightly lit bar. The shattered glass had been cleared and Barrett was there, behind the counter greeting them with a smile. Their eyes scanned the area, but nothing seemed out of place and there didn't appear to be any form of supplied present, _'I knew he was just chatting crap…'_ the blond thought as he walked in and set his bag down.

            "I'd take that back, if I were you, Cloud," came a familiar soft voice that once held ice, but now seemed to border on a lighter note. Cloud and Tseng turned as one to face the voice, the owner emerging from the shadows cast by the open door, as he closed it. The man was tall and had black hair, which had at one point been long and unruly but was now neat and tied back. He still wore the red bandanna, but it was no longer wrapped through his hair, but under it, allowing the longer strands to frame his face. His familiar, long red cape was about his shoulders, framing the black shirt studded with silver buttons along each side, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He no longer wore the metal glove and claw on his left arm, instead it was replaced with a similar fingerless glove to the one he wore on his right hand, and his boots were no longer metal plated, instead he wore black boots that were hardly discernible against his black trousers. "Anything else missing from my usual appearance?" he asked, the tone still unusually misplaced. Clouds eyes traced the mans perfect face, now full of colour although it was still far from any other persons normal complexion, his dark red eyes twinkled as he spotted that the man no longer covered his mouth.

            "V-Vincent…?" the blond man queried, his tone expressing his doubt. It was hard to believe that this could be the man that slept around in coffins, or at least he did up until they found him in the basement of Nibelheim Mansion. An involuntary shudder ran through him, as memories of what used to go on there surfaced in his system. A smile broke through on Vincent's face, making him look less like he normally did and increase Clouds sense of doubt.

            "The one and only, now wipe that stupid look off your face, you're making yourself look like an ass," he said, echoing Tsengs words from earlier that day. Clouds face flushed as the words affected him again, _'I am not being an ass, I'm just being cautious,'_ he thought as the red-eyed man chuckled, "well…if it isn't Tseng…long time no see," he said, landing his eyes on the cool form of the one time head of the Turks, "no need to explain, Barrett already told me," he added catching the questioning look on the others face, "so when do we leave?" Tseng looked at Cloud, who in turn looked at Barrett.

            "Hey, don't look at me, I kept up my end of the bargain," he said, busying himself with wiping some glasses.

            "What do you mean?" Cloud asked, not understanding what the big man had meant.

            "I called Vincent, that's what I meant when I said I could make sure that you were well equipped for your journey," he sighed exasperatingly, while Vincent checked his gun, the QuickSilver.

            "In that case, we leave as soon as possible, preferably now," the blond said, his former light tones diminishing as his previous feelings of anger and desperation settled in. He had to make it up to Tifa; he had to rescue her and Lumira from that man.


	13. Death In White

Final Fantasy VII:

Destiny of the One Winged Angel Chapter: 13 – Death In White 

He sent his mind forth, away from his body, releasing his very being among the winds that carried time and present. He could see them from where he was, or rather where his astral form was, the tall man leading a slender woman through the plains, heading east from the city towards the town of Kalm. They were some days away, but he could give little care to how long it would take them to reach there, all he was concerned with was keeping up his end of the story, his dictated reason for being.

            "Are you sure we have everything for this journey?" came her gentle voice, the tone he could recognise to be wary. He could understand why, according to the memories he shared with his dominant being, he knew the story between them well, although he may need to be clarified on some parts, such as why they were here instead of where they had been sent to, and why they were together.

            "Yes, I'm sure Aeris…if we need anything else, we'll get some more supplies from the stops we make," the taller man replied, his short platinum hair glinting in the moonlight, while the strands that framed his face were lifted now and then by the light wind. They were travelling by chocobo-back, having hired the mounts at the stables in New Midgar, and he had been watching them since their departure. "Will you answer a question for me…?" he asked, thinking that he should ask now to sate his curiosity instead of leaving it to fester.

            "How can I decide, when I don't even know what it's about," she replied, a short and light laugh colouring her words. The man returned the laugh, keeping it just as short so as not to overdo the small humour she had graced him with.

            "It's about the innkeeper…who is she to you, I sensed some sort of connection, or rather some form of familiarity between you…" he said, voicing his thoughts aloud. Silence was his answer, as she thought about whether she should tell him or not.

            "She is my mother…" she replied simply, just as he was about to give up hope of hearing an answer, "she wasn't my biological mother…but she took me in, and was as much a mother as she could be to me," she expanded, more from the need to remind herself, than to take his silence as an answer of misunderstanding, for she knew full well that he understood. The platinum haired man appeared to be dumbstruck, he had obviously asked a sensitive question, more than he had right to ask, but still she had given him an answer. He was able to sense that the man was about to express his thanks, since being in this astral form granted such benefits, but the man never got round to it when a low, guttural moan reached up from the dark land before them.

            Gray eyes opened in the darkness, the light wind bringing his mind back to his rigid body and playing through the strands of dark hair that peeked out of the cowl of his snow-white cloak. He stood, and leaned forward, allowing his body to fall, sailing through the emptiness of the air, the particles offering no resistance to the forces of gravity. He rolled forwards in mid-fall, placing his feet beneath him and landed, curled in a ball. He slowly rose standing up to his full height and looked up at the treetops from where he had fallen, then turned and ran in the direction the sound had come from. They were close, yet closer to the beast they had unwittingly run into, he only prayed that he was not too late, as his hand flew readily to his hip and clasped about the hilt of his gun, the Outsider.

~*~

They drew their chocobos to a halt as the guttural cry reached out from the darkness, carried by the wind to their ears. The source of the sound seemed to be coming from somewhere ahead, and so they waited, their figures tensed in the darkness. They could only see so far with the light from the moon and stars, and this was limited since the dark clouds scudded across them at odd intervals.

            "What do you think that was…?" came Aeris' barely audible voice; the moan had startled her and the sound of it, being so unearthly, sent shivers along her body. Sephiroth slid off of his mount and peered into the darkness, listening for any sign of movement. The grasses before them were tinted a deep blue-green in the limited light, they moved silently with the passing breezes, and the leaves of the odd clumps of bush and groups of trees rustled sinisterly.

            "I don't know…but we should be ready in case something's out there…" he said, and as if to answer his suspicions, another low moan sounded, but this time closer. The platinum haired warrior looked up to Aeris, his eyes betraying his worry as he realised that she had no weapon to use, "I want you to get away, okay? I'll meet you at Kalm…just get away, now," the tone of his voice was kept deliberately even; it always was when he mentally prepared himself for battle. She looked into his eyes, knowing that he would not be able to fight on his own, but understood his worry, she had no weapon, yet she had been able to produce some form of energy to fight against the beasts they had encountered when Tifa and that other girl had been abducted.

            "Sephiroth…I can help, I wasn't completely helpless the last time," she said, her tone becoming slightly hard, to show him that she intended to stay. His gaze hardened as he looked at her, and his tone of voice became persistent.

            "Listen to me Aeris, I know what you were able to do the last time, but I also know that that power is not unlimited…you need a weapon, and that you do not have," he said. She looked at him, remembering their conversation at the Inn, but shoved it aside, this was a different matter; she couldn't leave him alone, even if she had wanted to. She knew that if there was any large gap of distance between them, they would both gradually become weaker, it was the way it was, and she was about to open her mouth to explain that when the earth beneath them began to shake, as thundering footfalls began to echo through the night.

            Without a single word passing between them, Sephiroth thrust the reigns of his chocobo into her hands, and smacked the behind of her mount, sending it speeding off into the night as she and the bird cried out in alarm. He watched her go, trying to regain control of her mount, it was a risk he was willing to take, especially since he knew how ancient magic often worked, and thus knew there had to have been a catch to being bonded as they were. He turned and drew the Masamune out of its scabbard, and held it at the ready as he went into his stance for battle. The footfalls stopped almost suddenly, but he could sense that the thing was nearby, _'Where are you…I know you can see me,'_ he thought, and as if in response he heard a kind of gruff sniffing. Sweat trickled down his brow and followed the line of his face, soaking into the cloak gathered about his neck, it was trying to smell something in the air, then suddenly let out a low cry and footfalls resumed. _'There!'_ he thought, as a silhouette passed before him, some few metres away.

            The creature was large, larger than any beast he had seen before, but spindly and twice his height. Its chest area was heavily muscled, and there was a hollow space between its pelvis and diaphragm. Its head was large, and perched above a short neck. Sephiroths eyes traced its features and spotted two hollows where eyes should be, then found the jaw line, the gash in its face lined with teeth, the lower canines protruding out, and reaching up to the sky, while the upper ones reached to the earth for a shorter distance. The former general took an involuntary step back, his inner feelings of fear overruling his preoccupied mind, this was a bad move to make, for as soon as he moved, the beast snapped its head toward the disturbance, its hollowed eyes looking his way. For a moment it appeared as though the beast hadn't seen him at all, then its jaw opened and cry, much sharper than the previous ones bellowed through, making him close his eyes against the sound.

            He looked up just as the beast charged towards him, its long arms trailing limply behind it, and he managed to roll out of the way as its jaws snapped shut where he had just been. As he regained his feet, he flicked out his Masamune, feeling the tip nick the edge of the beasts face, as it saw the attack coming, for something so big, it had remarkably quick reactions. Sephiroth turned and faced the monster, his blade held before him, and leapt up as soon as the beast threw forward one of its long arms, the claws of which dug into the earth where he had just been. As he sailed through the air, he slashed with his blade, feeling it jar against the bone, and slice through as a shriek of pain came out of the beast, its arm removed from its body, fell to the ground, the fingers twitching, then stilled.

            He landed softly on the ground behind the monster, which turned to face him, its face contorting in pain. The silver haired warrior's emerald eyes widened in shock, as he saw something that made his skin crawl; the beast's face, while contorting in pain, seemed to display a human demeanour, eyes momentarily seemed to appear at the hollows, and lips seemed to form momentarily about the teeth. He swallowed back the urge to retch, grimacing at the taste of his bile, and took advantage of the time he had before its next move to regain his breath. He charged forward, as the monster seemed to back away a bit, and thrust the blade into its body from the underside and concentrated hard.

            He could feel warm blood trickle down the Masamune's blade onto his hands, which were gripped tightly about the hilt. His lips parted and closed, as he chanted the spell he now summoned, and could smell the scent of evaporated blood. He had managed to successfully cast the highest-level fire magic available to him, and it engulfed not only the beast but him as well, as he was within range. He grit his teeth against the pain of the flames searing across his body, as he hastily chanted a counter-spell, but was a bit too late to fend off the sensation of being burned. Once the spell had passed, he drew back his blade, and rolled forward and away from the monster, its flesh burned and burst at odd parts of its anatomy. He could feel himself getting weaker, and knew it was not from the battle, for he had gone through much worse in the same amount of time and still had enough stamina to take on an army single-handedly. _'Aeris must be a long way away right now…I'm almost done here anyway,'_ he thought, but doubted if he would be able to last long enough.

            As if in answer to his doubts, a single gunshot was fired and he looked up, his blade still held at the ready. Sweat had soaked through his hair, and glistened on his face as he watched a figure cloaked in white burst into the fray, from a nearby clump of trees. He heard the beast cry out as the bullet impacted, and saw the figure tuck the weapon away and leap into the air, rolling once, and landing feet-first onto the beasts face.

            They crouched low in between the hollows where the eyes should be, and drew their arms back, revealing stark white skin that seemed to change shape, becoming longer and sharper. The figure let out a cry and dug their arms into the beasts face; causing it to shriek in agony and thrash their head form side-to-side at a violent pace, that would have thrown anyone off. They plunged their arms repeatedly into its face, and then dug in one more time, before leaping up, and landing at the back, dragging their arms through the head all the way. The monster fell onto its knees, its life having been claimed by death, no longer living and slumped forward, unmoving.

            Sephiroth allowed his body to slump down, unable to keep himself standing up anymore, having been separated from Aeris for some time. He watched as the cloaked figure removed themselves from the dead creature, their arms covered in blood and gore. They turned and faced the weak form of the former general, and walked towards him, their arms slowly reverting to their original form and becoming human.

            "Sephiroth!" a familiar voice called, and he fell forwards, letting the blade rest by his side. He saw a white cloak gather in front of him, as the mysterious person knelt by him to roll him onto his back. Then there was the worried face of Aeris, she had come back, eventually regaining control of her chocobo and getting it to turn back. "You idiot! I told you I'd help!"

            "Now look at me…" he said, a small smile playing on his face, he hadn't felt this weak in a long time, it was an exhilarating sensation, reminding him of his humanity. He looked up and met the gray-eyed gaze of the cloaked figure, "thank you," he whispered, unable to say anything more. The figure smiled, pulling back the part of their cowl that covered their mouth.

            "My name is Solomon, it's a pleasure to meet you," he said, then looked up at Aeris, an unspoken message passing between them and they helped him up to his feet. Solomon picked up the Masamune and slotted it into its scabbard, and the two led the silver haired warrior to one of the chocobos and helped him up.

            "I'm sorry…there's only one more left-" Aeris said, but was cut off as the man cloaked in white raised up a hand.

            "It's okay…" he said, trailing off as he saw an idea flicker within her eyes.

            "If you're heading in the direction of Kalm, you could join us, you can ride my chocobo while I share with Sephiroth…someone has to make sure he won't topple off," she suggested, moving closer to Sephiroth's mount, while holding out the reins of hers to the cloaked man. He looked at them, then at Sephiroth who simply shrugged, indicating that he went along with whatever Aeris had said, and so he nodded and took them up, helping Aeris up in front of Sephiroth to help him focus, before mounting the remaining one.


	14. Airborne

Final Fantasy VII:

Destiny of the One Winged Angel Chapter: 14 – Airborne 

They walked down the streets of the eastern part of the city, heading towards a large structure that had been officially opened at least a year ago. This part of the city was dotted with squat buildings, designed to supply the needs of the large structure ahead. It was an Aerodrome, a place where airships left to supply other cities located on the other continents. Compared to most other businesses, the Aerodrome had taken longer to rebuild and re-establish, since the necessary funding had to be saved up after the rest of the city had been built.

            "What was our plan again?" Vincent asked, looking upon the building that was surrounded by airships waiting to take off, as others landed from their completed errands, only to be serviced and be prepared to be sent off again.

            "We're going to see Reeve…I heard he was around here somewhere," Cloud replied, his tone marking the fact that he was preoccupied. His eyes scanned the area for the former ShinRa Head of the Housing Department for the slums; since the destruction of Meteor and Midgar, Reeve had taken on the role of motivating everyone to rebuild their homes and supervising the various constructions around the city, making sure that they were within their limits. "Ah, there he is!" the blond exclaimed, having laid eyes on a man in a yellow jacket, talking to someone who wanted him to sign a few papers, "Hey Reeve!" the man looked up at the sound of his name, he still looked the same as before, the neatly trimmed beard and combed hair, an odd strand falling over his forehead.

            "Cloud!" he replied, smiling at the sight of his former partner, whom he had met in Kalm when the group had come to rest. It had been the first time they had met in person, but it was easy to recognise the voice of Cait Sith, the toy cat, while it was not so hard to recognise the infamous Cloud Strife. "How have you been?" he asked, shoving the clipboard into the arms of the man he was speaking to, and stepped over to the mercenary, clasping arms in a companionable manner.

            "I've been good, and I see you've been taking good care of yourself, despite the work you're taking on," the other replied, stepping back and appraising the former ShinRa employee. Reeve let out a small laugh, and then looked over to the other two who accompanied his friend, they both looked vaguely familiar, but one of them he knew should have been dead.

            "Hello, Reeve…" came Tsengs calm tones; he had noticed the look of unease in Reeves eyes, which had turned to disbelief as the words and voice registered in his mind, triggering the old memory.

            "Hello…" he replied, then turned his attention to Vincent and embraced the man, "Vincent! My God, you have changed these past years, I almost mistook you for your own son, or at least a ghost of yourself,"

            "Now, Reeve…I'm not that old…and if I did have a son, he would probably be less than five years old," the former Turk said, returning the embrace, "and I've got whole lot of years ahead of me,"

            "Um…Reeve, I'm sorry to cut this short, but do you have anywhere that we can use to talk…in private," Cloud said, emphasising the last words as he glanced at the man with the clipboard. Frowning in puzzlement, Reeve looked over his shoulder, then glanced at Tseng and nodded.

            "Excuse me for a moment, will you," he said, and then walked away from the man, leading the three men to a building set out of the way. It appeared to be a temporary structure, and it was here that Reeve allowed them to enter, locking the door behind him. The interior was sparsely decorated, an office table set at the back with a single chair, and some filing cabinets. There were four empty chairs, set in a semi-circle about the table. "Take a seat," Reeve said, going about the room, closing the windows and dropping the blinds, to prevent unauthorised people from listening in. The three men took a seat each, Cloud taking the centre one and flanked by the two former Turks, Reeve took the seat on the other side of the table, looking at each man in turn, his gaze lasting longest upon Tseng. "How funny…I lost contact with all of ShinRa employees, but over the years they started to turn up again and are now taking active roles in the upkeep of New Midgar…but this…even the dead ShinRa employees are starting to turn up," he said out loud, more to himself than to the others.

            "I was sent back," Tseng stated, "and so was Sephiroth…" his tone seemed to die down as he met the look in Reeves dark eyes.

            "Yes, I know…" he sighed, "Barrett gave me a call on my PHS…the wonders of modern technology," he mused, catching their questioning looks. Barrett had indeed made sure that they were well equipped for this journey, pulling in almost every tie he had, _'I wonder what else he sorted out for us,'_ Cloud thought, as he wondered about what was going to appear next.

            "We need an airship…just to Rocket Town," the mercenary said, his hand fingering the hilt of the Nodachi, it had an odd texture and he had not used it yet, and made a mental note of taking some time to practice with it. He clasped his hands in front of him, and waited for Reeve's reply. He seemed to be deep in thought, running through his memory for the list of airships due to fly that day, then smiled.

            "Yes, there is one heading to Rocket Town, I'm sure you'll like it, its an exact replica of the Highwind, and its going there for some touch-ups, so if you want to, you can hitch a ride for free…plus as its an exact replica, it has enough space for you to practice with your new weapon," he answered, his tone fitting that of a product advertiser for the last statement he made. Cloud and Vincent couldn't help but laugh lightly at Reeve's light humour; Tseng smiled and shook his head, feeling slightly uncomfortable among the group of friends.

            "Thanks Reeve, I guess it shouldn't be hard to miss either, since it's an exact replica," Cloud said, a small giggle colouring his words. Reeve smiled at the almost perfect imitation of his words, and stood up.

            "I'll walk you over anyway, in case some of the staff may get the wrong idea…also I still have to finish talking to that chap," he stated, stretching a little as he did so. He had been working so long and had little time to rest; well it was a job he had undertaken and was willing to see through to the end. They stood and walked to the door, filing out one-by-one. As Tseng reached the door, he paused and placed a hand to Reeve's shoulder, a move he would not have usually made. The man looked at him with an expectant gaze, sensing that the former Turk leader needed to ask something that had plagued his mind.

            "Reeve…I was wondering, have you heard anything from the Turks?" he asked, his tone tentative. Reeve smiled and nodded, then took Tseng's hand in his own, and shook it.

            "They were the first to call, telling me that they wanted to resign as Turks and lead regular lives…although I do believe that they still stick together, meeting up every now and then," he replied, and caught a proud smile cross the mans features.

            "That's good of them, I'd have wanted them to move on anyway, I could see that doing dirty jobs such as assassination was doing something to them, but I never got around to telling them my final wish," he said, and walked out the door to join his companions. A smile played across Reeves features, and he locked the door, and then walked with his former comrades towards the Highwind replica. Upon sighting the airship, Cloud couldn't help but laugh, as Vincent shook his head in disbelief, it was definitely a replica, down to the last coat of paint and the familiar mascot of a sparsely dressed woman mounted along one side of the airships body.

            They walked up to the rope ladder, which dangled down from the entrance hatch of the Highwind replica. A staff member greeted them as they approached, and stepped aside.

            "Jayel, these men are friends of mine and need a lift to Rocket Town, is that okay?" Reeve asked, calling the man by his first name.

            "Yes sir, it should be, we do have some rooms left which they can use, if that was your primary concern," he replied.

            "Thanks," Reeve replied and turned to his friends, "well Cloud, Vincent, Tseng, take care of yourselves, and I wish you the best of luck in what you have to do, oh and don't be afraid to call if you need anything…every little helps," he said, clasping each mans arm in turn, and smiling as he succumbed to the urge to throw in an advertisement for his services. Each of them expressed their thanks, and began to scale the rope ladder; "Oh and I think you might recognise the pilot!" he called, as they entered the airship.

            They stepped into the interior and were greeted by a female member of staff, who had just stopped for that purpose, then carried on her way to complete a task that had been assigned to her. The men looked about the airship, feeling a sense of nostalgia as they looked over the surroundings, then made their way to the Pilots Deck, Tseng following silently behind. Whatever memories the other two had experienced were not a part of his, but he sensed that new ones will be made and he will be part of them, whatever the outcome. They entered the Pilots Deck and found the control panels under close watch, the staff inputting information as well as checking the status of the airship, and then they spotted the pilot, seated at the centre of the two control panels and slightly ahead. Cloud walked up to him, followed by Vincent and Tseng, the staff members giving them a quick glance before returning to their work, he tapped the pilot on the shoulder, and he looked up, a puzzled look in his eyes, that turned into realisation.

            "Cloud Strife?" he asked, his tone amazed at the sight. Cloud cocked an eyebrow and looked closer at the man, before realisation struck him and he smiled in return.

            "Hey, you're Cid's apprentice, how have you been?" he asked, patting the man companionably on the shoulder. This was a man who had played just as important a role during the threat of Meteor, as they had done in banishing Sephiroth, although they apparently didn't do as good a job as they had hoped, since the Lifestream allowed him to be sent back.

            "I've been good, I got my pilots license from Cid personally, right after the Meteor incident," he replied, beaming at the memory of his training and qualification, "well, anyhow, what can I do for you?"

            "Is it okay if we can hitch a ride to Rocket Town with you, Reeve said it was okay, but I just wanted to make you aware that we were going to join you on this flight, among any other passengers you may already have," he explained, taking a step back to join his comrades. The pilot looked at each of them and smiled.

            "Of course we can accommodate you, the flight will only take about eight to twelve hours, and you know how smooth the flight is so there's no worries of being thrown out of your seats," he said, throwing in a joke to show that they stood on friendly ground. Cloud smiled his thanks, and turned to leave with the others, then turned back as he reached the door.

            "Oh, you don't mind if I use the large space to practice using my blade, do you?" he asked, showing the man the new blade which wasn't his. The pilot nodded his permission, and they turned to go to the lounge area where they took seats and waited for the airship to take off. Cloud looked at his new weapon and lost himself in thought, this wasn't his weapon nor was the one before it, but he had used that weapon as though it was his own even though he wasn't as adept at its use as the true owner was, _'Maybe this Nodachi will be a bit easier to use,'_ he thought, and sat back, allowing his body to relax for the flight.

~*~

They disembarked at Rocket Town's Aerodrome, located just outside the towns back entrance. It was early morning of the next day, having flown all night and only gathering to have their meals. Cloud had spent the time training with the Nodachi, Tseng and Vincent keeping him company and sparring with him every now and then. He had wondered how they were skilled in the use of blades, as well as their choice of weapons, and put it down to the Turks training in the use of every possible weapon, to be well suited for whatever situation they found themselves in.

            "Right, now to Cid's house, he should have access to the first Highwind since it's his airship, and we have to see if he's okay with letting us use it," he said, then turned to lead the way, when Vincent cleared his throat.

            "And just how do you expect us to fly? We don't have a pilot," he stated, raising an eyebrow to show that his reason ruled over his blond companions.

            "Don't you think I haven't thought about that? I'm going to see if he'd like to come," Cloud replied, looking at Vincent with a look that showed that even though he had thought about it, he wasn't sure of its success rate. Vincent merely shrugged, to show that the idea was worth a shot.

            "Do you reckon Barrett told him about the situation as well?" Tseng asked, mentally running over the events, in case the big man hadn't got this far in his preparations for them yet.

            "You know, I really don't know, but it's a good idea to keep all the information fresh in our minds, just in case," Cloud answered, a thoughtful expression on his face. Tseng nodded, and indicated that they were ready to go, they turned and entered the town through the rear entrance and saw that it was still the same, despite the absence of the rocket. Regardless of the same residential layout, the town seemed to be in better shape as compared to five years ago, people were going about their jobs and daily lives, making the town seem more alive than it had been the last time they had been here. They walked through the streets, and found Cids house very easily, since it was in the same location as before, also it was the only house with the Tiny Bronco in the backyard.

            Cloud led the way and stood before the door, and rang the doorbell. They waited for some time, Vincent and Tseng shuffling rather uncomfortably, it was after all early morning, but that didn't matter in the light of their urgent situation. Just as Cloud reached for the doorbell again, the door opened and a rather tired looking Cid answered the door. His hair was dishevelled, and stuck out at every possible place; he wore a string vest and blue striped pyjama bottoms. He looked blearily at the blond man standing before him, and then blinked in disbelief.

            "Why you son of a bitch! Get in here!" he cried, grabbing hold of Cloud by the collar and dragged him in, embracing the mercenary in a bear hug. He stepped aside, still keeping his hold on the blond man, to allow the other two to enter the house. He caught sight of Vincent in his new and barely recognisable look, and released Cloud, who immediately began to gasp for breath, to take him into a similar hug, while the former Turk yelled out protests, which turned into pitiful and barely audible gasps. He released the dark haired man, who followed suit to Clouds reaction, and paused as he looked at Tseng, who had closed the door behind him and took to watching the others in fascination. "Uh…hi," he said simply and held out a hand in greeting, Tseng smiled in response and shook the offered hand. "Make yourselves at home okay, and I'll be back in a minute…need to freshen up," he said, somewhat sheepishly as he was embarrassed by the sudden burst of emotion he had displayed, and in front of someone he recognised, but could not place a name to.

            Cloud and Vincent managed a weak smile, as Cid somewhat bounded down the hall to the bathroom, where he commenced to freshen himself up. They watched as he dashed into his bedroom, after having washed, and they could make out muffled sounds of voices as he tried to explain the situation to someone. They looked at each other and mentally agreed to go into the kitchen to take seats, and wait for Cid to return so they could talk.

            Many minutes later, Cid entered the kitchen, dressed in a white vest and black jeans. His hair was combed back, and his goggles pushed up, and he looked more like the pilot they had known all those years ago, he switched the kettle on and took out five mugs, in which he prepared the items needed for tea, then took a seat as he waited for the water to boil.

            "So, after five years, you finally decide to turn up on my doorstep…what do you want?" he asked, his tone gruff and covering the joy that his eyes betrayed. The three men looked at each other, two landing their eyes on Cloud, who took a deep breath and relayed what had happened since arriving at New Midgar up until their present situation. The explanation was dotted with input from the other two, especially the part where Tseng was concerned. Throughout the whole thing Cid had been silent, just as Barrett had done, the blond man braced himself for a violent reaction, but none came. Cid still had his eyes closed, and so Cloud tentatively called his name, there was no response, he rose out of his seat, then the kettle clicked, alerting them that the water was ready. Cid stood up and went to the mugs, unplugging the kettle and proceeded to make the tea, asking for the milk to be passed, which Cloud had fetched wordlessly. The older man served the tea, which everyone thanked at, then took his seat, sipping at the warm liquid. Cloud sat in his seat, his hands about the mug, allowing the warmth to seep in. "Well, drink your goddamn tea," Cid said, glancing up at the blond man who looked at him with a wary expression, who at this reprimand took a sip and waited.

            "Cid…what do you want for breakfast?" came a female voice that sounded so familiar, as the owner walked in, wearing a loose blue shirt over white trousers, her back-length brown hair loose and her brown eyes blinking in surprise as she took in the guests. "Oh! I'm so sorry, is there anything I can make for you…" she said hastily, remembering her manners.

            "The usual please, Shera…and forget about these guys, its only Cloud and his lot," Cid replied, after taking another sip of his tea. Cloud and Vincent kept their eyes on Shera, curious as to why she seemed different, and then they spotted the fabric stretched across her belly, and their eyes widened.

            "Um…Shera…can I ask who the father is?" Cloud asked, as Vincent seemed to try and get out of his state of shock. The brown-eyed woman looked up as she took out a frying pan, and planted some toast in the toaster. A small smile touched her features, and a soft red glow accompanied it. Cid cleared his throat, bringing their attention back to him, and they looked at his hand, spotting the white-gold band about his wedding finger, "Cid?! Don't tell me…you're…"

            "What's wrong with a married couple expanding their family?" Cid asked, downing the last of his tea, and then smirked at the look on his face. He stood and went beside Shera, planting a kiss to her cheek, "drink your tea, dear…I'll make breakfast like I said," he cooed, she smiled and returned the kiss, the glow still on her cheeks as she felt uncomfortable with the disbelieving gazes cast their way, while Tseng just drank his tea. "Oh, don't think I haven't forgotten about that story you told, Strife, I'm just gonna discuss it with you after I've eaten my breakfast, but I can see this from your point of view, and I know you'll do anything to get them back," he said, then turned to the stove to make his morning meal as well as his wife's, and 'accidentally' made some extra food, which the travellers could have if they wanted to.


	15. Possible Blackmail

Final Fantasy VII:

Destiny of the One Winged Angel Chapter: 15 – Possible Blackmail 

He awoke, opening his eyes to the new brightly lit day. Sephiroths aquamarine eyes met the brown polished, wooden ceiling, the light filtering in from his right, and gently touching his features. He pushed himself up and leaned against the soft headboard, moving his head to take in his surroundings. The room was cosy, as was custom for all Inns; it was painted a creamy hazel, with dark brown borders. A dressing table was set in the centre of the room, a large mirror displaying part of his reflection. There were two vacant beds to his left, and two doors, one on the far left, possibly leading to the hallway, and one directly opposite him, possibly leading to a washroom and shower.

            He looked down at himself and saw that he had been stripped, save for his underwear, a frown flitted across his face as he wondered just how long he had been asleep. He rose out of the soft comfort of the bed, and stretched as he made his way to the window, peeking out as he pushed aside one of the bunch of curtains. People walked to and fro, in all directions going about their daily business, children played in the streets, enjoying the sunlight. He sighed gently, and stepped away from the glass barrier and made his way to the door opposite his bed, entering it to find his suspicions confirmed, it was a washroom and shower. He entered it and freshened himself up, washing away the remnants of sleep that were still in his system.

            Sephiroth looked at the shower and didn't hesitate; he needed a good long one if he was ever going to feel clean again. The warm, and gentle caresses of the water gushing out from the showerhead felt so right and good, he let out a low moan of pleasure. The feel of the droplets, patting onto his skin was a luxury he hadn't experienced in so long, namely since the second day they had brought Cloud to the Inn, at New Midgar. It was a good way of allowing his muscles to relax, especially since he had taken a shower whenever possible during his services in SOLDIER.

            He stepped out the bathroom, with a towel wrapped around his waist, his hair dripping slightly, the water trailing down his muscular form and soaking into the towel. He froze as he entered the room, but couldn't react fast enough as Aeris turned about, after laying what appeared to be his newly cleaned clothes, on his bed. A small gasp escaped her as she saw him the way he was, and he instinctively threw his hands about his towel, making sure it was secure.

            Her jaw worked itself, trying to form words but none came, she stepped back, then jumped as she came into contact with the edge of his bed, and spun clumsily towards the other door, but appeared to be tumbling instead. Sephiroth moved quickly, again based on instinct, to catch her before she made contact with the floor and succeeded, cushioning her slim form in the crook of one arm. Aeris' green eyes flew open at the contact, and widened as she was met by his startling aquamarines, their faces were so close and she could just about feel his light breath mixing with hers. They were like that for what seemed like a long time, but by the ticking of the clock, only a few seconds had gone by. Fearing that something more would happen, her face flushed and she flew out of his gentle grasp, standing a few feet away from him.

            "I'm sorry…your clothes…they're clean of the blood," she stuttered, then looked away as he stood up, keeping his eyes locked on her, "we'll be downstairs," and she left his presence, unable to bear the awkwardness any longer, the door shutting itself behind her. Sephiroth blinked, and felt his face going slightly warm as blood rushed to his face, finally allowing his hold on his feelings to slacken. He moved to his bed and sat on its edge, placing his head in his hands as he breathed heavily, trying to slow the quick beating of his heart, which had increased its pace when the distance between them had been a mere few centimetres. Looking into her eyes had been mesmerising, he was only too relieved that she had moved away when she had, or he would have done something he would have later regretted, but for some reason now that they were apart, he felt alone, his heart heavy. He straightened, and stood up, his head turned towards the door.

            "What's happening to me…" he whispered to himself, as he felt his throat tighten as his mind relieved the moment, which he shoved violently out, he had to maintain the barrier, he couldn't breach it, not ever.

~*~

After closing the door behind her, Aeris leaned against the door, her heart racing, _'That was a little too close for comfort,'_ she thought, as she drew in deep breaths to calm herself down. What disturbed her most was how she had almost allowed herself to be subject to his desires, if he had any that was, for when she looked into his eyes she had seen nothing, a kind of eerie emptiness, _'or a barrier…'_ She could still feel his arm, wrapped about her in a gentle yet protective manner, then remembered how Cloud had held her, somewhat similar, yet Cloud's hold had been more secure, as though they belonged together, which she knew to be true.

            She pushed herself away from the door, the thoughts still within her, and made her way down to the bar, where she found Solomon seated at the counter, sipping at a glass of fresh iced tea. He looked up over the rim, as she sat down beside him and ordered an orange juice.

            "What?" she asked, as she caught him studying her. He shrugged in response, and downed the last of his drink, then leaned his right elbow on the table as he looked at her. She frowned, "just tell me what your problem is," she said, then took up her drink and paid for it.

            "I don't have a problem…" he said shrugging, then a small smirk touched his lips, "but I know you do," she choked on her drink, and he patted her back to help her recover.

            "What do you mean?" she asked, looking at him from the corner of her eye, as she took another, more careful sip. He let out a small chuckle, and turned in his seat, resting both elbows on the counter, the action allowed a ghost of an image of Sephiroth doing that same action, only days ago, to flash through her mind before she blocked it completely. He cocked his head to one side; his gray eyes trained on her like a target.

            "It's not much of a clue, but you appeared to be glowing slightly when you came down…what happened, you start something then ended it, before it got out of hand?" he asked, a hint of a smile added to the last statement.

            "Just what do you think I am?!" she exclaimed, her face going scarlet, as she placed her glass down a bit violently, that some of her drink jumped up to rim level. He caught her pained look, and knew that he had said something too offensive.

            "Hey…" he began, his tone gentle, "I'm sorry…I didn't mean it that way, I was only joking…" she gave him a mistrusting look, "I've been told that I have an odd sense of humour, that people will only find funny if something was wrong with them," he added. For moments she didn't say anything, then she let out a little sigh, and smiled.

            "He should be down in a while…then we can decide if you can come with us or not," she said, taking up her glass once more and finishing it. As she placed the empty glass down, she saw the man in white looking past her and followed his gaze; Sephiroth was coming down the stairs and now headed towards them.

            "Hey…I see you're feeling better," Solomon greeted, as he came to his feet, holding out a hand. The silver haired man took it with a smile, recognising the cloaked figure immediately, then glanced down quickly at Aeris, who did not meet his gaze.

            "Thanks for your help…is there anything I, I mean we can do for you in return?" he offered, returning his eyes to the gray ones peering from within the cowl. A smile crossed the other mans features, and he folded his arms, bringing the tips of the fingers of one hand to brush his chin.

            "Well…not actually…although you could let me join you," he replied, pulling on a thoughtful expression for the sake of making his request believable. Sephiroth blinked, then frowned.

            "Why?" he asked, his tone betraying a small amount of the distrustful feelings within him.

            "Because, I feel that I may be of use to you," the other replied, catching the hint of distrust, and countering it with a smile, "if you don't want me to come along, then we could accompany each other if we are heading in the same direction,"

            "Sephiroth…if it wasn't for him, you'd be dead right now…" Aeris whispered, forcing herself to look at him, especially since she had not fully recovered from the earlier incident. The former general looked at her, his gaze hard, they were only too lucky that no one within range heard his true name. "I don't see why we can't, I mean…its not like we're doing something we can't trust him with…" she continued, letting the words trail off.

            "And I've known who you were for a long time…even before we met," Solomon said, his tone low. This was something the two travellers hadn't counted on hearing, and both their eyes widened as the words sank in. It was an unnerving thing to say, since whoever this person was could know bits of information that no one else knew, and if pushed in the wrong direction could use that information for the wrong purposes. Sephiroth felt as though he was trapped between to places, and neither was giving him any breathing space. He looked at Aeris for some sign of support, or at least an idea, but she only returned his same befuddled gaze.

            "Okay…" he sighed, fixing a hard and serious gaze upon the white traveller, "you can come…but you will give me your word that you will answer any and all of my questions, when I have time to sort them out," Solomon nodded, his expression blank, he had expected this response, they didn't trust him, but were still going to let him come along because of the leverage he held. "Come, we leave immediately," the silver haired warrior said, walking towards the doors of the Inn.

            "It's a good thing I decided to pay on the morning of each day," the new member sighed, as he followed the tall man through the doors. Aeris stood there for a moment, wondering why Sephiroth had consented so easily, maybe there was something fascinated him about the new man, something she didn't know about. She shrugged, and then walked after them, finding them waiting for her outside the Inn.

            "We'll hire some black chocobos and head over to Junon, where we'll catch a ship…preferably the fastest…then from there…we'll see our options," Sephiroth said, informing them of the plan he had formed in his mind. He then turned and walked in the direction of the stables, allowing the others to follow in his wake.


	16. Enter Yuki

Final Fantasy VII:

Destiny of the One Winged Angel Chapter: 16 – Enter Yuki 

"Cloud…do you have any idea where we're going?" Tseng asked, his tone hinting at his feelings of uncertainty. They were now aboard the Highwind, with Cid being the pilot. There had been quite a debate about whether the middle-aged newlywed should have joined the little company on their journey, leaving his pregnant wife behind, but being as headstrong as he was, he wouldn't hear any of their protests. Also to the surprise of the others, Shera had backed him up as well, claiming to be only a month pregnant, and if anything were to happen all she had to do was dial Cid's number on the PHS, and he would be there in a flash. They had not left, as immediately as they had hoped, for the Highwind was due for some tune-ups, and the replica needed to be supervised in its minor upgrades, and so the group were able to leave within two weeks.

            "Sure I do, I told Cid to head to Wutai…we're going to need all the help we can get," he replied, swinging the Nodachi over his shoulder, as he tried a downward slash. He still practiced with the blade, just to get used to it, so that he was ready for any battle in the future. With him were Vincent and Tseng, watching silently as they sat aboard the crates, in the spacious storage room where he practiced. Their fourth member was occupied at the cockpit, and would join them soon; when he was certain that his new protégé was able enough to fly on their own without his supervision. The two men glanced at each other, a silent agreement going between them.

            "Cloud…" Vincent began, his tone matching that of an unsure child, he waited for some response, and received a sound of acknowledgment, "…why are you actually going on this little journey…and do you really need our help?" he asked, then held his breath as he waited. Cloud turned about in mid-swing, and faced the two former Turks silently, his expression unreadable as he used the blade to support his weight, placing the tip into the floor.

            "What do you mean by that?" he asked, after a moment's silence, weighing their words. He looked form one to the other, doubt of their companionship beginning to fill him as he read their uncertain gazes, "Are you trying to say that you don't want to help me out?"

            "No, its not that, its just that we don't-" Tseng began to say, but was cut by Cloud who began to speak again.

            "Look, I know you don't know Lumira like I do…to be honest I don't know her very well either, and I'm not asking you to help for her sake, but for mine and Tifa's…she's taken too, not only Lumira…" he said, his tone beseeching them for their assistance, or some valid reason. The two men looked at each other silently, a mental conversation going between them, then they lowered their heads in resignation.

            "As today's generation say, 'We don't want to be dark on you man'," the man in red replied, as Cloud allowed himself to let out a small laugh at his attempt at the language used by today's youths, "come on, tell us about her…what makes you want to go and rescue her, this Lumira…" he continued, his tone softer but radiating his seriousness about the situation. The blond man blinked, and then smiled a small smile as he nodded. He sheathed the blade and hoisted himself up onto the stack of crates, sitting between them, then leaned back against the cool metal of the airships interior wall.

            "I guess you have a right to know…it was six months ago, I was returning from a solo journey, you know just to get away from people for a while, and be on my own…" he began, closing his eyes wistfully, as though wishing that he were doing that same trip, instead of a rescue mission. The former Turks waited patiently, then he continued, "I was returning to Nibelheim…when I heard the sounds of monsters growling, in the fashion they do when they've come across a likely prey, I just thought I'd investigate…you know just in case it was something like a chocobo…" he paused, creasing his brow, as though trying to recall every detail, "well, when I went over…I saw her…terrified, pinned against a wall of rock, beside the mountains, surrounded by Nibel Wolves and other monsters I can't be arsed to name right now, she looked as though she had lost all hope, until she saw me and beseeched my help with her eyes…I just couldn't leave her, so I dove in and fought for her…protecting her from those animals, which must have run her down quite a bit, because she was in a state, a state that I'd never want to see her in ever again," he stopped there and ran a hand through the mass of quills on his head, and sighed.

            She had cried so much when they were all dead, barely strong enough to support herself any longer; she just collapsed into his arms, and stayed there sobbing, then stilled. He was afraid that she may have died from the excessive shock, but she had merely passed out, and he couldn't blame her, a young girl of her age, a possible next meal for the monsters that now lay dead, had he not arrived in time. God knew how long she had been chased, been their quarry, and now she could finally relax and let it all slip away.

            "Hey Strife! Answer me you bastard," came Cids gruff voice, breaking into his silent musings. He had not realised that he had drifted off, lost in the memories of that day, which had made him her temporary guardian, until she was able to defend herself adequately. Cloud blinked dumbly as Cid peered at him, then turned his back on him with a huff, "honestly I come over to talk to you, and here you are dozing off with your goddamn eyes open! What next, you'll sprout wings and fly away while I try to ask you what we're gonna do next, after Wutai?"

            "Hey…I was not sleeping with my eyes open, nor have I ever done…I was thinking…" the mercenary mumbled, rather disgruntled at having been found like this, lost in his private musings. Cid turned about at the sound of his voice and scowled, chewing at the end of the straw he had peeping out from between his lips. A method, he claimed, to be helping him get over his smoking habits, especially since he was a father.

            "Hey, sleeping beauty's awake, but claims to be thinking…any truth to those words, Vince?" he asked, his tone mocking, as he indulged in the little teasing comment he threw in at the beginning. Vincent merely nodded in response, as the pilot shrugged, "so, what're we doing in Wutai?" he asked, folding his arms as he waited for his answer. Cloud scowled back, then sighed as he leaned back, breaking eye contact with the pilot who looked up from below.

            "We're going to see if Yuffie would like to help…" he replied, going from his sitting position into a lying position on his belly, resting his chin on his folded arms. A frown passed Cid's face, and then he motioned for Vincent to move out of the way. The dark haired man obliged, and watched as Cid hoisted himself up onto the crates, sitting beside Cloud, who rolled onto his back, so as to keep eye contact.

            "What do we need Yuffie's help for…you got us for whatever crazy escapade you've set yourself on," he asked, his tone hinting at his slight mistrust with the Ninja, who although he would trust with his life, he would not trust with his hard earned belongings, namely materia. Cloud smiled and laughed humourlessly, as he relived the times she had tried to swindle him out of his materia, _'As if we would ever die some time soon,'_

            "Come on…its been five years, she's practically going to be Queen of Wutai soon…and I was just thinking that we need as many people as possible…especially since Sephiroth is back, God knows what he'll be up to…" he said, trailing off as he prayed for Aeris to be all right, and hoped that the former General didn't try anything.

~*~

They disembarked from the Highwind, which had been landed just outside of Wutai, the Sun just beginning to set as they had flown for about a day, casting orange-red rays across the land, and buildings. The three men drew their cloaks close about their bodies, as they waited for Cid, who was giving a few last minute orders and informing them on how long they would be occupied. Once he had rejoined them, drawing his own cloak close, they set off into the city of Wutai, entering through the grand entrance gates. The city was preparing to close itself up for the night, the inhabitants walking home, while lovers, secret and announced, walked the night streets, hand-in-hand enjoying each others company in the serenity of the oncoming twilight. The city had regained most of its former splendour, but still functioned as a tourist destination, since it had done so well in that area.

            The four men looked about the city, and made their way directly to the palace, where they hoped they would be granted an audience with Yuffie, crowned princess of Wutai. They paused outside the guarded doors, deciding whether to enter or not, then Cloud was shoved forward by a mass of hands from his companions, exclaiming his surprise. The guards came to attention, and prepared for their duty as the blond man stumbled up before them. He turned about, casting a harsh glare at their direction, and then turned back, suddenly feeling himself shrink in the presence of these two heavily armed and protected guards.

            "Uh…I, I mean we…wish to have an audience with Princess Yuffie…that is if it is possible…" Cloud managed to say, stuttering the words as the two guards sized him up, then looked past him to evaluate the rest of his company. They looked at each other, then one stepped aside as the other entered the palace, leaving his companion to stand before the closed doors.

            "Please wait a moment…" the guard said, his tone even and indicating that he was well prepared to handle all four of them, should they try anything against him. Cloud nodded, then turned to rejoin his companions, they waited for many minutes, then the door slid heavily open, revealing the guard that had left before.

            "She will see you now…an escort is waiting inside…" he said, then stepped aside, holding the grand door open for the four men to file through, entering the wide reception area of the palace. It had been remade, to commemorate the return of their status among the world, while the upper levels remained fairly same, only wider. A woman greeted them as they entered, introducing herself as Miharu, their escort, and led them through the grand hall, leading them outside, into a previously unvisited area of the palace. They walked silently, through the garden, passing over the small bridge that spanned the clear lake, housing catfish, and various other species native to this region. They entered a two-storey building, located a little way past the end of the bridge, and were led to a vacant room.

            "Lady Yuffie will be here shortly…please wait, and make yourself comfortable in the meantime," Miharu said, allowing them to enter the room and take seats. She bowed, and then stepped aside, sliding the door shut as she left. The four men looked at each other, silently, neither one meeting the mercenary's gaze as he looked from each one.

            "Why am I the one that has to do all the talking?!" he said suddenly, his tone a bit harsh, due to the unnerving silence and shifty glances made his way.

            "Because its you journey…Cloud," the sudden answer made the group of men jump in surprise, as they turned their heads as one to the source of the voice. Their eyes widened in astonishment, as they laid eyes upon the woman they hoped to be Yuffie, if so she was no longer the spunky and immature looking sixteen year old, they had known, instead she appeared to have matured over the past five years. Her short dark hair had been allowed to grow and now fell past her shoulders, in straight locks. She had grown quite a bit, and her figure was more defined, and she seemed to have filled out her birth-given role quite well.

            "Yuffie…" three of the four companions said in unison, their voices expressing their awe and uncertainty, while Tseng sat silently, looking at the now twenty-one year old woman, who he had been told was someone to be wary of.

            "The one and only," she replied, her adult tones changing slightly to match the youthful ones they were accustomed to. They didn't know how to respond, and so worked their jaws shut as she stepped in and took a seat next to Cloud, fixing him with a cold look. "You never called, not once…" she said, her voice barely above a whisper, he frowned in confusion, "you even didn't bother coming to my eighteenth and, or twenty-first birthdays…and now you come knocking on my door…what do you want?" she asked, her tone changing to express her pain at this situation. Cloud's brow drew closer together, and he shifted his a weight a little, feeling uncomfortable since he had meant to call everyone at least once, but it was difficult when you were out travelling for half the time.

            "Yuffie…I apologise…I really do, you're not the only I didn't call…but this is important… I need your help-" he said, stumbling over the words that rushed forth, but was cut off as she held up a hand to silence him.

            "No need to explain…Barrett already called, and I'm sorry to say, but I can't come with you…you see…my father needs me to learn everything before he goes, and believe me, I would give anything to join you…but I have to be here…for more than one reason…" she stated, her brow creasing with sincerity, and a hidden pain that she did not reveal.

            "What the fuck?! Barrett called you, but didn't call me, that son of a bitch, I'm gonna rip him a new asshole when I get the chance!" Cid raged, jumping to his feet, as he bit right through his straw.

            "Calm down, Cid…he called only recently…and said you were next on his list to call, which he may have done while you were gone…" Yuffie said, her tones gentle and calm. He blinked and looked at her, then sighed and cursed to himself while he sat back down. "Anyway, even though I may not be able to come…I have a friend who would be delighted to take my place," she said, smiling and standing up, being her spunky self once more. She stepped up to the doors, and left their company for a while, then returned just as swiftly seeming to be having company, "Cloud and Co, I'd like you to meet my dear friend, Yuki, she'll be taking my place and going with you on your journey," she said, stepping aside as she allowed her friend to step forward and be introduced. She was young, but looked to be similar to Yuffie's age, her dark hair was cut short, and she bowed in greeting and smiled.


	17. To Nibelheim

Final Fantasy VII:

Destiny of the One Winged Angel Chapter: 17 – To Nibelheim 

_'Again I sail upon the open waves…this world of endless blue, the colour reflecting that of the heavens…again I am here, on the deck…seemingly oblivious to all those around me…'_ the thought was allowed to trail off, as the tall, cloaked form of Sephiroth leaned against the railings of the ship that bore him and his two travelling companions north-west, towards Costa del Sol. They had spent somewhere near to six days, riding hard and over the mountains and plains that lay between Kalm and Junon, their black chocobos near to collapse as they reached the entrance of the large port city.

            Its massive structures looming above them, the enormous cannon of the repaired Sister Ray, jutting out from the centre, aimed in no particular position, since it was now made to revolve and rotate, to meet any kind of threat from anywhere, save for underwater. They had left their wearied mounts at the stables, planning to hire fresh ones at Costa del Sol, and had bought their tickets for the fastest ship, its record travel time being four days. They had boarded some hours later, and were now on their way to the sunny beaches of the tourist city.

            Sephiroth shifted his weight slightly, and closed his eyes against the sea breeze, allowing his mind to wander and fly among the winds that played with his hair, and stroked his features. A sudden clearing of the throat brought him out of his moment of relaxation, and caught his attention. He turned his head and saw Solomon, the tall man clad in white and black.

            "Mind if I stay in your company…" he said, not looking at the emerald eyes that peered at him with indifference. He sighed and leaned against the railings, gazing out into the open stretch of the ocean, "a beautiful sight…who knew that such a thing could harbour such dangerous creatures, and horrors unknown…" he mused, then laughed curtly, "I guess the same could be said about the terrestrial lands…"

            "Just what do you want Solomon?" the former General of SOLDIER asked, his tone harsh as he was beginning to become impatient with this enigma of a man, _'That is if he is a man…'_ he thought, remembering that night when he had saved his life from that strange monster. The man did not reply immediately, but watched the waves for a bit longer, then turned about, leaning his back against the railings and allowing his head to hang back for a moment, revealing the white flesh of his throat, then brought his head back down as he let out a long sigh.

            "I just wanted to tell you…that even though I know who you are…I am not here to be a bane, nor a hindrance…I only know what I know because I am not who I am…or what you believe me to be…" he stated, his voice low and toneless. Sephiroth blinked in confusion, and Solomon looked at him, his gray eyes flashing momentarily a blood red, accompanied by a taunting smile.

            "Just what are you…?" he asked, not in the least bit phased by the others immediate change in appearance, even though he felt a bit unsettled. Years of hard training, had taught him to mask his true feelings and show a more dominant, and indifferent exterior, something that now came naturally to him, since it was his only protection against being cut down to nothing. Solomon smiled almost sadly, and then stretched as a yawn escaped him.

            "That will be answered in due time…I'm feeling weary now…so we can continue this some other time," he replied, and left the silver haired mans company, after giving him a companionable pat on the shoulder, an act that made the taller man scowl in anger, but forced himself to not act as swiftly.

~*~

They were riding now, over the mountains west of Costa del Sol. The three had hired black chocobos for this journey, ploughing them onwards through the cold terrain, and resting them whenever possible. They travelled with little conversation going between them, allowing Sephiroth to lead them to whatever place he wished to travel to next. Aeris in particular, took little participation in these rare instances of conversations, lost in her thoughts, and trying to sort out her feelings, still embarrassed about what had happened in that room, and what could have followed, _'No…not embarrassed…more like ashamed…'_ she thought, correcting herself on her feelings. She reminded herself that this was the man that had taken her life, and she was now bound to him, against her will. She understood that it was not his fault, but still, she could not bring herself to feel any different towards him, she could never love him, it was unthinkable, considering their history, _'And what would Cloud think…he would never look at me again…'_

            It was the night of the sixth day of their ride from Costa del Sol, and they were descending along the side of the mountain they were riding over. Ahead of them, within the darkness, they could see small pinpricks of light off to their right, indicating that they were close to a town.

            "That should be North Corel…" Sephiroth said out loud, more to reassure himself, than to notify the others. _'Just a few more days in this direction, and we should be there…'_ the grim thought passing through his mind, as he closed himself against the onslaught of the guilty emotions he felt, along with the ghosts that lingered in his memory. A sudden flash of silver in the moonlight, followed by a howl of pain as a monster died, caught his attention, and he ordered a halt at the base of the mountain, to pinpoint the source. The other two were wise to keep quiet, trying to help locate the source as well, for they had noticed it too. Again, the sound of a cry of pain, this one human, followed by a glinting slash as their weapon tried to make contact with whatever it was fighting. This was all they needed and, they spurred their mounts onwards, towards the direction of the ongoing battle.

~*~

He stepped aside, dodging the attack sent his way by one of the two remaining Bagnadrana, only to be caught by the Cocatolis' Bird Kick attack. He brought his short katana from behind, and slashed at the bird monster, catching it full across the chest, then brought it back behind him, keeping it at the ready. The second Bagnadrana charged at him, swiping at his slim body with a massive claw, missing him by mere millimetres as he back flipped away, and pushed himself into the air. He dug his free hand into the inner part of his gi top, and threw out a pair of shurikens at the big monster, catching it at its throat and side. It roared in pain, and stampeded, catching him unprepared as he landed, and sent him sprawling along the slick grass.

            He pushed himself up, wincing at the pain that shot through him from the contact of the monster, and rolled out of the way as the first Bagnadrana took its chance to attack, accompanied by the Cocatolis aiming a Beak attack. He parried the attack from the bird, and drew out a double-edged kunai, stabbing it into the body of the monster, and ripped it out just as viciously. He felt the warm blood spray across his face, as the Cocatolis cried out in pain and died, since his attack had been well placed. He looked up from the dead monster, panting heavily as he tried to locate the two remaining monsters, the light from the moon temporarily obscured by the dark clouds. He felt a violent impact charge into him from behind, sending him forward, and was sent back by another meeting him from the front, and staggered backwards, away from the two Bagnadrana, his arms wrapped about his mid-section, the short katana still held in his right hand.

            A sudden crack of gunfire echoed through the darkness, followed by the surprised cry of on of the two Bagnadrana, then a sudden flash of polished metal, as the blade sang sharply, announcing its arrival. He collapsed to his knees, as he saw two tall figures running into the fray, one slashed at one of the monsters, while another leaped into the air and landed on the back of the second, pressing their weapon at the base of its neck and letting out another resounding shot. He frowned as he watched the person tuck their weapon away, and remove what appeared to be gloves, then slide down to the ground at the incapacitated monsters feet, their arms seeming to change shape. The arms became longer, and thinner, as though sharpening, then just as quickly he sliced at the monster, its body splitting into two with a burst of blood and gore, as they appeared in the air above it, the monsters howl of death echoing through the night.

            A sudden flash of light startled him, as a third person seemingly appeared out of nowhere, illuminated by the flash, as twin balls of light arced their way to the final monster, engulfing it then exploding. The last person, the one that appeared to be holding a long blade of some sort, slashed again at the monster, this time leaping into the air, and continued the slash along the monsters body, landing some feet away as the last Bagnadrana fell down, dead.

            He watched silently, keeping his guard up, as he watched the three strangers, one sheathed their weapon, while the other, the one that had done a rather curious thing, seemed to revert back to their human form. He jumped in surprise as he felt a hand place itself on his shoulder, and looked into the breathtaking face of a young woman.

            "Are you alright?" she asked, her features creased in concern. He could recognise her as the one that had unleashed the bolts of light, she seemed tired, as though the attack had taken a toll on her. He simply nodded, unable to bring himself to say anything, his mind still stunned at what he had just witnessed. She smiled and offered a hand to help him up to his feet, he took it without question, and winced as the sudden shift to his feet disturbed the bruises he now had.

            "Thank you…" he managed to say, as he sheathed his blade, and removed the mask he had about the lower half of his face. The other two strangers came up, joining the woman. One of them, the one that wielded the gun, turned about and let out a sharp whistle, which was answered by the 'warks' of chocobos. "Wait…who are you?" he asked, as he made out the silhouettes of three black chocobos running towards them. The moon had reappeared, and he could see that the other two were men, one being taller than the other. The taller man had green eyes, which seemed to have a mysterious glow about them, and silver hair, while the other he could not make out since they had their cowl drawn up. The taller man paused as his mount came towards him, and turned to look at the young man, clad in black.

            "My name…is Gabe," he said, his tone hinting that there was nothing else more to know, since there was a possibility that they would never meet again. The second man and woman mounted the two remaining chocobos, and waited patiently for Gabe to mount his.

            "Gabe, huh…" the young man said, stepping in front of the black chocobo which the silver haired man was mounting, "where are you going? I am indebted to you and your companions…maybe I could accompany you on your journey," he offered, looking into the tall mans captivating eyes. The silver haired man frowned slightly, as though reconsidering the decision to aid this dark haired man.

            "We are travelling to Nibelheim…but your assistance is not needed, no offence," he replied, his tone practical and polite at the same time. The woman seemed to have been taken by surprise by this answer, as though she had not expected to be travelling in that direction.

            "Nibelheim…" the young man said, thoughtfully, "well…I'm on my way to Rocket Town, I'd be happy to accompany you," he chimed, as a smiled formed on his features, and he called his own mount from the darkness, as if to answer the next question he sensed would be coming from the tall man. Gabe frowned slightly, then turned about to confer with the other two, while the young man tended to his black chocobo, and mounted it.

            "I guess you can come…as long as it's only to Nibelheim," he stated, his tone indicating his displeasure at the idea. The man smiled, ignoring the tone of the others words, and swung his mount about so that they were facing the direction they would be going in.

            "Thanks again for helping out, the name's Sazan, by the way," he said, holding out a hand in greeting, and having it shook with all three travellers, the remaining man and woman introducing themselves as they did so. Once ready to set off, they urged their mounts into motion, continuing the journey west, towards Nibelheim.


	18. Manipulated Visions

Final Fantasy VII:

Destiny of the One Winged Angel Chapter: 18 – Manipulated Visions 

A tinkling chime could be heard…its sound reverberating through the darkness, that was the planes upon which his mind currently travelled. He felt his body, floating upon the particles that made up the air about him, then slowly his form began to straighten, his feet mere inches away from the ground below. His head lolled down, his chin resting upon his chest as he slept, something tickled his face, making his brow twitch in annoyance. _'What…'_ he was too weary to finish the thought, deep within his slumber as he was; he just let the thought drift off as he continued to sleep. An image flashed before his mind, a girl, her dark eyes flashed in fear and pain, his brow twitched, he knew this person…but where from.

            "Cloud…" his name echoed through this world, his mind. His eyelids twitched, "Cloud…" again his name is called, the words carrying desperation, beseeching his help.

            "Lumira…" he murmured, both in his mind and in his physical form. His mental image of himself, opened their eyes slowly along with these words, then suddenly a flash of light surrounded him, blinding him until it passed.

He looked about the new setting of this once black area, and saw that he was in a room, possibly watching everything that was happening at this very moment. He frowned in confusion, why was he watching the events going on in this room, when they had nothing to do with him…or so he thought. A sudden cry of pain caught his attention, and he caught sight of an all too familiar operating table, if that was what it could be called, since it was more like a metal slab with leather-bound chain shackles at each corner. He shuddered as he envisioned what happened on that table, especially what had happened to Vincent, but the thoughts didn't last for long as the person strapped to that table came into focus, making his blood run cold.

"Lumira…" he whispered as he saw her there, on that table, the things being done to her obscured by the silhouette of a man. He tried to move towards her, to try and save her, but he found that he was immobile; he could only stand by and watch what was happening. He shut his eyes against the agonising whimpers and cries of pain that escaped her, and then suddenly he heard an all too familiar, gentle voice calling his name. He opened his eyes, red with the tears of anguish that had forced their way through, and found that he no longer looked upon the hell-like scene that had played before him just moments ago, instead he was surrounded by a soft, green haze. _'Mako…'_ he thought, recognising the familiar feel of the liquid he had spent five years of his life within, he looked about, trying to locate the source of the voice that had called him.

            "Cloud…" the voice called, gentle, in pain, but trying desperately to mask it. He turned about, and finally spotted her, her long dark hair trailing about her like a cape, her soft, dark eyes locked onto his, but showing the immense pain she felt.

            "Tifa…" he said, his tone a breathless whisper of shock, "where are you, what happened to you?!" he demanded, sensing that she was the one that had brought him here, and that whatever means she was using was waning fast. She smiled, and then closed her eyes, revealing to him the location they were at, and then suddenly unearthly screams filled his ears, among those of Tifa and Lumira.

            "Tifa!" Cloud cried, his eyes snapping open as he sat up in his bed. His breath came in deep, desperate pulls as he tried to calm his mind, most of his blond quills plastered to his head with his cold sweat. He brought his hands up and ran them both through his damp hair, as he lay back down among the soft security of the bed, gazing up at the ceiling. _'Tifa…what's happened…'_ he thought, revisiting the nightmarish visions he had seen flash through his mind. For some unknown reason, he believed what he had seen, he knew that they weren't just mere visions brought on by the random activity of his brain as he slept, they were real.

~*~

"So, where are we headed?" came the sprightly voice of their new member, Yuki. She was dressed in a red sleeveless, oriental type suit, the fabric of the skirt split down each side, revealing her thighs from an inch below the waist. She wore maroon, knee-high boots, the tops of which were folded over, revealing her knees. She was with him in the cargo area of the airship, watching while he trained with his blade, keeping well out of range by perching herself atop the stack of crates along one side of the inner wall.

            "We're going to Nibelheim…" he said, swinging his blade in the fashion of an Omnislash, then leaped into the air, and brought the blade crashing down, performing his Braver attack, then continued to slash at any imaginary beasts that stood before him.

            "Oh…Nibelheim…never been there before, is it nice?" she asked, placing her feet together and clasping her ankles with her hands. He paused in his training, then looked up meeting her youthful gaze, it was odd, how could she have anything to do with Yuffie, she was nothing like her.

            "Yeah…its nice…well, it was many years ago, then it changed, and now…hopefully, it's still the way it was when I left," he replied, a small smile playing on his features, "we should be there by this evening, its only about a day's flight," they had lost so much time since they had landed at Wutai, and now they were on their way after six days of restocking on supplies, and repairing the minor damages done to the ship. The cause of this had been an attack by an Adamantoise, which did not seem very pleased with this flying machine carrying humans intruding upon its territory.

~*~

"Did he buy it…" came the gentle, yet authoritative words of the dark haired man that stood behind her. They were in a dark room, lit only by a single red light, its rays washing over a well-laid bed, and the mediocre furnishings of the room, her room. She sat back in the chair she was sitting in, resting her head back, relaxing it of the ordeal she had put it through, at least here, it was quiet, dejected from the cries that she often heard in her spirit.

            "Yes…he's on his way there…" she answered, letting out a long breath to relax the throbbing. She stiffened, as she felt his smooth, ungloved hands place themselves on her bare shoulders, massaging them softly, as he brought his head down and next to hers.

            "Good…its really a shame that we have to deceive him like this, but we can't let him know our true location before the fun starts," he mused, his tone soft. She let out a low moan of pleasure, as his hands did their task, he smiled, hoping that one day she wouldn't have to give pleasurable moans over simple massages, after all she had deserved it, and he didn't just give massages to anyone.


	19. Arrival

Final Fantasy VII:

Destiny of the One Winged Angel Chapter: 19 – Arrival 

The small town of Nibelheim could be seen, drawing ever closer, as the three travellers guided their black chocobos down the side of the mountain they had been travelling across for some time, the tall form of Mount Nibel looming up on their right, becoming ever larger as they descended. From where they were, they could make out the bustling life of the town, the inhabitants gradually becoming larger and more life-like as they drew closer to the town's entrance.

            "Wow…that's Nibelheim?" came the somewhat awed tone of Sazan, as he rode his mount with the ease of an expert. The silver haired man looked towards him, amazed at how serious he had been during the battle, but now appeared to be laid back.

            "Yeah, that's Nibelheim…we'll probably be staying there for sometime, I need to do some research," he said, slowing the pace of his black chocobo as they reached the foot of the mountains, and prepared for a change in seating position to suit the chocobos new alignment. They continued to ride, but at a slower pace, following the silver-haired mans lead. Aeris rode in second, quite close to where he was, and cast a quick glance his way, trying to catch some kind of expression on his face. The glance did little to give her any hints, and so she continued to ride in silence. Solomon rode beside the new member, although it appeared that they would be a temporary recruitment, judging by the agreement that had passed the night before, _'Things can always change…'_ he thought, reminding himself of the situation concerning him.

            The entrance drew closer, and they rode through it, bringing their mounts to a slow trot as they looked about for an Inn and stables, the apparent leader of the group bringing his mount to a stop, as he spotted an Inn, located some way away from the Mansion. His emerald eyes looked over the area, the inhabitants still going about their daily business, not giving a second glance their way, _'So many changes…yet continuity exists…'_ he thought, somewhat sadly, as the memories of the horrors he had enacted here ran through his mind. He winced and shook his head, clearing it of the phantoms, then signalled for the others to follow him.

            "Is he okay?" the young man in black asked quietly, as he rode up beside Aeris. She looked at him, a sad look in her eyes, as she understood what was wrong, and then gave a small smile as she nodded.

            "Yeah…he's fine…just having some bad memories, I think…his family…was killed here long ago," she said, setting a tone of mourning to her words, which wasn't very hard to do, since she placed the simple truth of how she felt, coming to the place where Cloud was born, and basically lost his past. Sazan looked at her, his dark eyes flashing sadly as he looked about.

            "I heard…from a friend, that this town was completely burnt down…I'm just so surprised at how well its recovered," he mused, as they followed the tall, silent man who rode on ahead of them. Aeris made a sound of acknowledgement, then dismissed herself politely as she urged her mount to quicken its pace as she rode beside the silver-haired man. The dark clad men watched as he saw the tall mans shoulders relax slightly, as he sensed her presence.

            "Those two seem pretty close, don't they," came the soft, smooth tones of Solomon, who had ridden up silently behind him. Sazan would have jumped in surprise if he had not been trained as well as he was, he had known that the cloaked man had ridden up as soon as the young woman had left his presence.

            "Yeah…but if you're wondering…I'm not interested, I have my own waiting for me…" he answered, his voice sounding less cheerful with the last few words. The white clad man looked at the other, a dark eyebrow rising in surprise.

            "Someone? You mean you have a lover waiting for you?" he asked, his tone gentler, marking his curiosity and surprise. Sazan sighed, seeming to contemplate his answer for a while, then nodded.

            "Well…she isn't a lover, I mean we are in love, I suppose…but…we haven't been out as such, you know doing what other regular couples do…instead, we're more like friends…but in love…" he explained, his brow furrowing in thought, but then he laughed, showing his resignation on the matter, "ah well, it doesn't matter anyway…you'll find out soon enough," Solomon continued to blink in surprise, just what was the relationship between this man and his friend, lover, person.

~*~

"Right Cloud, you crazy moronic bastard, we're here…now what?" Cid asked, shamelessly displaying his irritability on the matter of being woken up earlier that morning, and being suddenly requested to set course for Nibelheim immediately. He scowled as the blond mercenary chose not to answer him immediately, as they looked about at the town that lay before them, the engines of the Highwind quiet in the dusk of the day.

            "We enter the town of course and search the Mansion tomorrow…its too late to start now…" he replied, his tone expressing his disappointment. Even though he did not question the viability of his dream, he reminded himself that it could just have been a simple vision, and so he should not let his emotions rule him, should he find that the visions were a simple myth worked up by his tired mind. A silent agreement passed between the four men and single woman, and they turned about and left, making their way to the town of Nibelheim and entering it, the inhabitants already within the safety of their homes, and preparing for a good nights sleep. A faint smile played on the blond's features as he looked about; he was home, but for how long until he had to set out again.

            "Wow! This town's beautiful…" came Yuki's awed tones, as she looked about with a look of excitement, then caught the incredulous looks passed her way, "Hey! This is the first time I've been away from home, you know…and Wutai only has one city, even though it's dotted with villages…but nothing compares to this," the men smiled, letting out small chuckles at her enthusiasm, save for the middle-aged pilot, who just grumbled at how easily impressed today's youth were. They continued to walk through the town, making their way to Clouds house without protest.

            Vincent paused momentarily, casting a cold, yet wistful look towards the Mansion, _'It has been so long…'_ he thought, then shook himself out of his musings and followed everyone else, joining Tseng who had fallen back upon noticing the other former Turks absence. They shared a look, and Tseng nodded in understanding as they entered the house of the blond mercenary, closing the door behind them.

~*~

"Tell me…are you okay?" came her gentle voice, as she sat down on the edge of one of the two beds in the double room they shared. She drew down her cowl, having brought it up to obscure her features, should the clerk at the Inn recognise her, and removed her cloak, placing it beside her. The green eyes of Sephiroth looked up at her from where he stood, leaning against the windowsill of the centre-most window in their room. He drew in a breath and sighed, running a hand through his short platinum hair.

            "How do you think I am? I feel terrible…" he replied, loosening the physical restraints he had placed upon himself to keep up a strong, and quiet exterior. This whole mask, he had been wearing was all due to the training he had been put through, upon his advancement through the ranks at SOLDIER. The Cetra woman looked at him, her eyes holding understanding and sympathy, an emotion he was surprised to see from her, then he cleared his throat, "are you sure you'll be okay here…with me…?" he asked, his tone uncertain, as he remembered the incident that had taken place days ago. She seemed taken aback by the question, and then blushed slightly.

            "Well…its either me sharing a room with Solomon, or Sazan…and I'm afraid I'm not keen on sharing a room with either of them, for obvious reasons," she said, thinking about her distrustful feelings towards the man in white, and the cautiousness she felt around the newer member.

            "So…I'm the last choice, or fall-back, huh?" the former General said, a hint of a humoured smile playing on his features, as he dared to let out a small laugh with his words. Aeris smiled back, then her expression became serious and sombre.

            "Sephiroth…why are we here, if you feel so torn by what happened?" she asked, her words carrying concern and sincerity at her feelings. This time it was his turn to be taken aback, and he smiled sadly, then made his way to the vacant bed, perching himself on the edge as he relaxed.

            "You know…I'm only going on what I feel deep inside…I feel that I have to be here, but for whatever reason, I don't know…" he explained, then turned his face to catch the look of incomprehension on hers, then smiled, "anyway…we should get some sleep, I'm going to check that Mansion tomorrow…to see if there's anything there that I may be able to find…"


	20. The One Winged Angel

Final Fantasy VII:

Destiny of the One Winged Angel Chapter: 20 – The One Winged Angel 

"So…they did come…but I never counted on that silver-devil to come too," the dark haired man said, as he looked over the small town of Nibelheim, from where he stood. His female companion stood silently beside him, her eyes on the house where the blond and his group were asleep. They had a good view of the town from where they stood, two silent shadows in the early morning, gazing from the unused path that led to the old Reactor. He turned his head to face her, suspicion marking his clear-cut, gentle features, "you didn't summon him as well, did you?" she sighed, but did not answer, as she continued to look towards the house, her emotions well hidden by the mask she wore. Taking the silence as a negative answer, the man shrugged, "no matter…he can be easily disposed of, along with that tacky group he's got," the air rang suddenly, as he unsheathed the Buster Sword, his given weapon, and his sole property.

            The woman turned her head, wisps of her long hair coming into her face with the light wind. She watched him, studying the length of his blade and the two green orbs of materia that sparkled with a captivating glow. _'Why am I doing this…'_ She wondered, as she watched his dark blue eyes trace the length of his weapon, then his powerful arms swing it about, sweeping it across his body, making sure that he still had what it took to unlock the full potential of the weapons power, _'not even he could do that…which was why he often seemed like a novice, wielding a blade that was ill-designed to suit his needs,'_ she thought, musing over a significant man, that was still asleep.

            "Come…she should be ready by now, and they should be too," he said, slipping the blade over his shoulder and into its scabbard. The woman blinked, then turned away from his gaze, as she realised that she had been inadvertently staring as he played with his weapon, and nodded. It was time to start the next phase of their plan, and hopefully the two groups down below would not be able to interfere anymore.

            The dark haired man watched his companion as she turned away from his gaze, and smiled, it was time to test what she could do. He reached into his cloak and took out a small diamond-shaped object, the contents of which could not be seen since the item was dark itself, and shook it gently in a circular motion. He could just make out the soft chiming noise it produced, and knew that those intended to hear it would come to its source. With the sounds of the chime drifting among the light breeze, he turned and walked away, followed by the silent woman.

~*~

His brow twitched, as the gentle sounds of chimes entered the dark world of his dreamless mind. He turned about, bringing a hand over his exposed ear, hoping that the sounds could be banished that way. But no, they continued to sing and tickle his eardrums, irritating his hazy mind as it was forced awake and into consciousness. He rolled fiercely onto his back, as he squeezed his eyes, then snapped them open; the sounds were calling him, he could feel it, and there was no way to escape their haunting music.

            He slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, allowing the sheets that covered his upper torso to slide off and pile about his waist. His sapphire eyes roamed about his room, catching sight of the young Wutaian girl that had joined them, sleeping in the only spare bed in his house. He watched as she let out a small moan, and then turn in her sleep, facing her back to him, and he continued to gaze over his home. He caught sight of Cid, sleeping on the couch snoring softly with both his hands resting upon his chest, and one leg dangling down, the foot resting on the carpeted floor. He sighed inwardly, wishing that he could better accommodate his guests, but they had understood, then he spotted Tseng, sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag, which the host had provided.

            Cloud stretched and yawned, he couldn't wake the rest up, not just yet, and came out of his bed, making his way to the bathroom to freshen up and taking his choice of clothes with him. Moments later he stepped out, fully clothed in what he wore upon entering the town, his purple suit given to him by the SOLDIER who was once his friend, almost brother. He went to the door, grabbing his cloak and throwing it about him, and strapped the belt attached to the Nodachi's scabbard about his waist. He turned about, taking one last look about the room, letting his eyes fall upon each of the sleeping forms, then exited the house, closing the doors gently behind him.

            The blond man looked about the currently quiet town, the air crisp and almost welcoming in the early morning. He could still hear the chimes, but less loudly as it dwindled away, seeming to fade off in the direction his eyes sought out. His gaze fell upon the path that led to the old Mako Reactor, and he frowned _'Why would anyone be over there…'_ he wondered, and then involuntarily shuddered as he remembered the memories associated with that place. He stood there for a while longer, trying to decide whether he should investigate the odd probability of someone being anywhere near the old structure. Cloud sighed, and set off, his footsteps crunching lightly over the gravelled pathway that paved the entrance of his house, then fading as he walked towards the source of the odd chimes.

            From within the shadows of his house, a man stepped out, his the wind playing through the loose strands of his hair. He had been watching over the house all night, having not been able to fall asleep. A gloved hand came up, running a path through his long hair, ending as it met with the band that tied the strands together. Vincent's red eyes flashed in the darkness, as he looked across at the flash of white that suddenly appeared by the Inn, and his gaze locked upon theirs as they detached themselves from the shadows as he had done. They studied each other for some time, then an almost invisible nod passed between them, and the man in white disappeared, re-entering the Inn from where he had left it. The former Turk looked back down the path that Cloud had taken, then entered the house, planning to awaken the sleeping members since their aid would be required.

~*~

A soft moan escaped the silver-haired mans lips as his brow twitched; the sounds of chimes tickled his ears, awakening his mind. He opened his eyes slowly, the gaze of the amazing aquamarines meeting the white ceiling above him. He blinked, the action done to bring focus to his vision and continued to gaze upwards. He brought up his left arm, resting it along his brow, and turned his head to the right, facing the other bed, that was set near the window. He drew in a deep breath, his eyes wandering over the woman's sleeping form. She faced him, sleeping soundly like a child, despite the slight drawing of her brow, which caused a pang of pain run through him. Was her night ruined by his presence, or was she being haunted by things she refused to discuss, keeping them hidden with great skill.

            He sighed and brought his arm down as he pushed himself into a sitting position, _'I'll have to ask her when I get the chance,'_ He swung his legs over and came out of his bed, then made his way to the bathroom to freshen up and awaken his senses. He stepped out, fully awake now, despite the incessant chimes that seemed to be fading, but not altogether disappearing. He grabbed his jacket and pulled it on over his white vest, and pulled on his boots over the black jeans he still wore. He tightened the buckles around the shins, keeping them secure then retrieved his Masamune, strapping its scabbard to his back, then placed his cloak about himself.

            Sephiroth turned back as he reached the door, looking over Aeris' sleeping face, she hadn't moved her position, which made him feel uneasy, since she could be watching him leave and so will follow him to wherever it was he was going to go. He sighed, and then unlocked the door, opening it only to jump back as he was startled to find Solomon standing outside his room, leaning against the banister of the stairs.

            "Took you long enough to come out," the tall man in white commented, his gray eyes flashing from within the cowl of his cloak. He stayed where he was, leaning in that casual manner, which apparently seemed vaguely alluring, and would have worked if the silver-haired man had been a woman.

            "What are you doing here?" he asked, his tone masking his hidden surprise. A smirk touched the corner of the mysterious mans lips, and he let out a small chuckle, as he pushed himself away from the banister and straightened.

            "You should get going…I'll wake up the other two, since you're going to need our help, don't question me about it, okay," he said, then left the tall former Generals presence, entering the room that was now occupied by Aeris, and closed the door behind him. Sephiroth stood there for some time, looking at the door with mixed emotions, should he leave and seek out the source of the chimes, or should he enter the room and make sure all was well. _'Get a hold of yourself, Sephiroth, he won't do anything indecent…especially if he values his life,'_ he thought, then began to walk away, only to turn right back and return to his room, placing his ear against the door, hoping to hear something of what was occurring inside. He frowned slightly, and then relaxed; there was no sound of a struggle. Satisfied with this reassurance, he turned and left, descended the stairs and exited the Inn, following his ears to the source of the chimes.

~*~

Hearing the footsteps disappear and the gentle creaking of the floorboards as he descended, Solomon turned away from the door and looked upon Aeris' sleeping form. He watched as the soft waning moonlight shone in from the open window, caressing her youthful features, _'A shame my life won't last long enough…and even if it did, I doubt she would accept my feelings…'_ he thought, his brow drawing into a sorrowful frown, only to be replaced by a plain mask as he began to step towards her.

            Her brow twitched slightly, as his shadow cast itself over her form, blocking the gentle light that gave her flesh an almost ethereal glow, making her appear to be a sleeping spirit. He reached out a hand, preparing to brush away some of the strands of hair from her brow, only to pause and gaze at it. He couldn't touch her, not after the blood that covered these hands, the blood and gore they had run through, puncturing the outer flesh of the beasts he had fought, only to savour and bathe in their remains. He shuddered, and took a deep breath, _'Such purity should not be tainted,'_ he thought, then stepped back a bit.

            "Aeris…" he called, his voice gentle, his arms and hands hidden within his white cloak, "Aeris…" he called again, and this time she gave a small, sleep-filled moan in response. "You need to get up…Sephiroth needs our help, and we have to go," he said, the words still coming out in that soft tone. She moaned again, and then began to rouse herself as the meaning of the words spoken settled in.

            "Solomon…what are you doing here?" she asked, her mind still clouded with the sleep she had been interrupted from. He continued to look at her, keeping that mask that hid his feelings upon his face, and sighed.

            "I came to wake you…Sephiroth's gone off towards the Reactor, and he's going to need our help…please, you know what will happen when the two of you are separated," he explained quickly, stepping out of the way as she climbed out of her bed, shaking her head as she tried to rid herself of the webs of sleep that were still there.

            "Sephiroth's gone…I have to go to him, you said the Reactor, right," she repeated, in an effort to verify what she had heard. The man in white nodded wordlessly, then began to make his way to the door.

            "You go on after him, I'll wake up Sazan and meet you there…" he said, then opened the door and left before she could say another word. When the door closed, she didn't hesitate to act, and quickly made her way to the bathroom to awaken her senses, for she would need to be fully alert in order to be able to be of any use, should there be a battle. She then pulled on her mini-jacket and cloak and made her way hurriedly out of the Inn, and followed the direction Sephiroth had gone in, towards the Reactor. In her haste, she failed to notice the little company that began to file out of Cloud's house, having been woken up by their red and black-clad member, and informed of the mercenary's whereabouts.

~*~

She could sense them, the two men making their way towards the source of the chimes, which would be where they were; she and the man, along with the newly awakened girl. She frowned, how was it that one of them, who had not been summoned, was making their way towards their location…surely they could not have heard the chimes as well, they couldn't have…for the musical notes were not intended for them, _'Then why does he seem to be making his way here, as though he were summoned…'_ Her train of thought was interrupted, as a gentle hand laid itself upon her shoulder.

            "I'm sorry to interrupt your musings…but he's almost here…we should prepare," the owner of the hand said, their gentle tones belying the ones he had used on her in the beginning. It was odd, he had been cold towards her when she had awoken, now he treated her like an ally…maybe more, she couldn't bring herself to try to understand the situation, she already had enough to worry about.

            "What about the other one?" she asked, turning about to view the expression on the dark haired mans face. He looked at her silently for a moment, his deep blue eyes hiding what he felt, matching the flawless mask his face had induced, in order to keep himself the hard and merciless man he had become.

            "What about him? We'll dispose of him, just like what we're going to do with Strife," he replied, his tone even and practical.

~*~

"Why did Cloud have to come all the way out here?" Yuki moaned, her usually spry tones coated with fatigue and the effects of missing out on the last few hours of sleep. The little group of four were making their way through the trails at Mount Nibel, aiming towards the old Reactor, which the remaining men hoped the blond had gone towards.

            "That's what we're going to find out," Vincent replied, his tone changing from the relaxed and more human ones he had adopted over the years, to the cold and distant ones he had used back in the beginning, when he had first met Cloud and the group once known as AVALANCHE. They continued on in silence, broken through with the occasional huff and slight complaint from the young woman, who for someone that came from a mountainous land seemed to find it difficult traversing through a similar area. More than once Cid and Vincent had been inclined to refer to her as Yuffie, for her behaviour greatly resembled that of the Wutaian Princess, and it was no longer hard to see why the two were such good friends.

            "Are we almost there yet…?" she asked, coming to halt when she saw that the other three had stopped in their progress. "Hey…what is that?" she asked, absently raising an arm and pointing it towards the hulking structure they saw up ahead, just behind the rise of the trail.

            "That…would be the old Mako Reactor," Tseng informed, gazing up at the massive structure with a look that bordered on disgust. Vincent cast a glance his way, and understood what this thing represented to the other, for it represented the same thing to him as well; a past they never wished to remember nor revisit, because of what had been done to them. Yes, Tseng had never been toyed with and turned into a monster, but the life he had to lead, a life where he was duty-bound to hunt down certain people and deal with them according to the assignment, it had made him miss out on one of the best things that could have ever happened. As a friend of Aeris', he would forever have been by her side, but his role as a Turk had prevented him from doing such things, especially when she had become one of his assignments.

            "Come on then, we may as well haul our asses up that rise…and see what's so damn great about…" the pilot said, then trailed off as he narrowed his eyes and focused on a point that seemed to be moving, "Hey…isn't that, it is! That's Cloud!" he exclaimed, catching sight of the mercenary's shock of blond quills.

            "Oh my God! And he's being followed!" Yuki said, her tone becoming overactive, as she spotted another person further down from where Cloud was. This person had short silver hair, and seemed to be oblivious to the blond man up ahead. Her eyes narrowed, as she spotted a third person, further behind the silver-haired one, but it was hard to tell anything about them since they were cloaked and had their cowl drawn up.

            "We better get a move on, we have to be there when he needs us," the red-clad man said, turning about to face the others. He then turned back, and began to set off towards the rise, only to come to an immediate halt as the crack of gunfire resounded through the near dawn, the bullet ricocheting off of the rocks that were a few inches away from his booted foot.

            "We go together, for our destinations are the same," rang the voice of a man, the words seeming to ring authoritatively from all about them. Cid and Yuki looked about themselves frantically, trying to locate the source of the voice, while Tseng stepped up beside Vincent, his arms drawn into his cloak, as he took hold of the hilts of his daggers. The red-clad man swept out an arm, signalling the former head of the Turks to stay his actions.

            "Very well…we will go together, so long as you reveal yourselves now…" he said, his words calm and raised, so that the hidden man heard. The four companions drew together as they waited, watching their surroundings, their vision limited to what the early morning light provided. They kept their ears pricked, listening for the slightest movement.

            "Fine…my companion and I will join you," came the male voice, startling the pilot and Wutaian girl, while the former Turks merely looked over, their reactions hidden, if they reacted at all. They looked upon a man clad in a white cloak, and black shirt and trousers, he wore black fingerless gloves and black, metal capped boots. It was hard to discern their features, but their attention was immediately caught by a second male figure. This one was clad all in black, ninja-like clothing, the lower half of their face hidden by black cloth attached to the neck of his suit. Their hair was also dark, the strands thrown up in neat quills that were kept together, and their dark eyes just visible in the light darkness.

            Gazing upon the dark-clad man, Yuki's eyes widened in the blue-tinted darkness, but she remained quiet. She could feel the mans eyes gazing at her, but he too said nothing. The man in white frowned as he looked between the two, but the sounds of Vincent making his way towards the rise caught his attention and he followed. The sounds of the two men moving off, roused the remaining people, and they followed silently, fingering their weapons, or holding them at the ready.

~*~

His heavy breathing broke the still air; the climb up the rise had tired him, but not enough to make him collapse. He was almost up the rise, almost at the source of the chimes that seemed to grow louder, marking their location. He had noticed he was going in the direction of the Reactor, but that didn't stop him, because whoever had the chimes must be in some kind of trouble, or lost. Cloud was careful not to slip on the loose rocks, which made up the trail along the mountain. It was dawn now, streams of soft light breaking through the clouds across the horizon, _'Soon…the Sun'll be up, gracing this Planet with its rays, brightening the day of the inhabitants,'_ he thought, as he peered through the soft-blue tinged surroundings.

            His eyes narrowed as he caught a flash of metal, coming from the base of the Reactor, and he moved without a second thought. He skidded along the steep incline of Mount Nibel, leaning so close against the loose rocks, that his clothes began to accumulate dust, and in some places the fibres became worn, and soon tore. His cloak flew behind him like a flag, and he came to stop at the end of the incline, the momentum sending him stumbling forwards as he hid behind the nearest rock, which was large enough to hide his figure. His right thigh stung, and his fingertips ached from his hopefully covert descent, but that didn't matter, he had sustained bruises and scrapes much worse than these ones.

            He peered past the rock, and tensed as he caught sight of the flash of metal again, but this time he could hear footsteps, scuffing along the ground of this place. It had been years since anyone had come to this place, so whoever that had come here was either crazy, lost, or was planning something sinister. The blond mans eyes narrowed, as he caught sight of a man, breaking away from the shadows of the hulking structure of the Reactor, their dark hair waving in the light wind as they held the Buster Sword against their shoulder.

            "Zack…" the name came in a breathless whisper; as he saw the man who claimed to be his long dead friend, considered brother, walk from where he was, a smile playing on his face.

            "Come on out, Strife! I know you're there, I saw you coming down in that rather fashionable way," they called, their tones mixed with humour and malice. They came to a stop, some way away from where they appeared, almost equidistant from the rock behind which Cloud hid. "I knew you'd come…Keane is a man of his word, very thorough in his research…and his work, so anything he does always works, and is a success," the man continued to say, as he brought the Buster Sword down, planting it in the ground at his feet and leaned against it. Seeing little reason to continue hiding, the blond mercenary came out form behind the rock, and looked at the other man with an angered glare. "Come now, there's no need to look so mad…I merely beat you the last time we met, but this time I intend to kill you…it's the best thing I can give to a friend…brother even, you do know I considered you a brother, didn't you?" they commented, their face forming into a hurt look. Cloud clenched his jaw, the muscle twitching as he fought to keep his mounting anger down.

            "You're not Zack…" he hissed, the words coming out like something distasteful, "Zack would never hurt anyone, unless he was forced to…" the ringing of the Nodachi filled the air, as it was unsheathed and held at the ready. Zack's eyes widened in mock surprise, then he drew his blade out of the ground and went into stance.

            "Well…consider this one of those days, where I'm forced to hurt people," he said, his eyes lighting up with the excitement of the inevitable battle. Clouds face heated with anger, how could this man run around masquerading as Zack, and pretend to know everything about the man and himself, it was just strange how his information was so accurate. _'Whoever he is…he isn't Zack, or at least the Zack I know,'_ he thought, then with a cry of fury, he drew his blade back as he ran forwards, and brought it crashing down, only to have the blow blocked by the length of his former Sword. Zack laughed and pushed back with all his might, unbalancing the blond man, and came with a slash of his own, which Cloud managed to block, somewhat clumsily and was almost unarmed. "Strife, I can't believe you, already two strikes into the match and you're getting clumsy? Come on, I expected better of you," the dark haired man taunted.

            "You want better? The I'll give you better!" the mercenary cried, as he ran in again, drawing the Nodachi up in an upward swing, hoping to catch the attack anywhere in the weapons path. Zack jumped back a bit, and then paused as he looked up at the rise, his attention caught.

            "Well I'll be damned, he did come…" he commented to himself, as he lowered his weapon to show he wasn't prepared to parry or counter-strike. Cloud blinked, then turned about, his own eyes widening as he caught sight of the silver haired man standing where he had once stood just moments ago, "I'm sorry Cloud, but our little spat must be prolonged for a while…I have to eliminate our dear General first," he said, then ran past the blue eyed man, the Buster Sword held at the ready, as he charged in to meet the Masamune, as Sephiroth slid down the side of the mountain, preparing to join the fray.

            Sephiroth had scaled the rise, just in time to catch sight of the two friends clashing against each other, and then he drew his weapon, preparing himself to join in the fight and find out the reason for this gathering. He made his way down the incline, knowing that the dark haired man had spotted him, and remembered their little score. His Masamune jarred against the Buster Sword, as they met at the base of the mountain, the clash ringing sharply throughout the air. The two men were locked now, wrestling with each other to gain the upper hand, circling each other, while struggling against the weight and force of the other. Suddenly, the silver haired man jumped back, giving a final shove that unbalanced the First Class SOLDIER, then charged back in, slashing at the exposed body of his adversary, turning it into a shoulder rush at the last minute, as Zack prepared to side-step out of the way.

            Their bodies collided, and Zack was sent sprawling backwards, only to come back in, and leap into to the air, and descend as he slashed downwards at his former General. Sephiroth jumped back, and then feeling a rush of energy run through him, he called upon the power of the mastered materia he had equipped, and threw out a hand as shards of Ice materialised in the air, and flew towards the dark haired warrior. Zack deflected most of the shards, feeling one cut across his cheek, drawing blood, then cried out as he sent forth a path of Fire. The silver haired man rolled out of the way, then was taken by surprise as beams of white light arced their way towards his enemy, making them dodge in between the beams, only to jump back at the last one and cast his eyes towards their source. Sephiroth followed suit, knowing that Cloud had also shifted his eyes towards the rise.

            The cloaked figure came sliding down, their cowl flying off as they stopped at the base and fixed Zack with a cold gaze. Her chest heaved with the effort of launching the attacks, but it was the only form of defending herself and others, that she didn't have much choice.

            "Aeris, so nice of you to join us…but I'm afraid only weapon-wielders are allowed in this dance," Zack said, then brought a hand up above his head, and brought it swinging down. In response to this movement, twin bolts of lightning came striking down from overhead, landing about the form of the Cetra, but not striking her as she brought up a shield-like magic about her. "Come on out, dear…our quarry wishes to meet you," the dark haired man said, his voice ringing loud and clear throughout the morning.

            The three warriors looked up, their eyes widened in surprise as they saw the figure of a woman take shape and appear in the sky. They slowly descended to the ground; their arms outspread, and landed gently, feet-first at the base of the Reactor. Her long brown hair was undone, and her distinct earth-brown eyes peered at them, their gaze hard and remorseless, even though a slight reluctance was hidden behind them. She was dressed in black, tight-fitting clothes, the skirt having a slit down one side, and the torso of the suit being sleeveless, the neck of which was decorated with black feathers. A black cape billowed behind her, and closed about her bare arms, providing some security against the wind.

            "Tifa…" Cloud whispered, his tone uncertain, but rang clear for all to hear, "What…what happened…?" he managed to ask, but was thrown back by a violent concussion of force, which struck as she glanced sharply at him. She snapped he gaze onto Sephiroth, who let a sharp gasp as Cloud was thrown back, and felt himself sailing through the air, a sharp pain erupting from his chest. She raised her arm and aimed it directly at Aeris, sending from it shards of Ice. The Cetra brought up a shield of hazy white around her, her brow drawing together in concentration as she protected herself against the rain of icicles thrown at her.

            Aeris grit her teeth, then forced her shield to curve in on itself, changing its properties so that it absorbed the attack and sent it back as spears of Holy. Tifa's eyes narrowed as the straight beams of white light made their way to her, and jumped out of the way and into the air, floating there as though she defied gravity itself. She brought an end to her attack, and the green-eyed woman did the same, falling to her knees in exhaustion. Sephiroth came to his feet and ran towards his female companion, kneeling beside her.

            "Aeris…" he said, but was cut off as twin cracks of gunfire echoed through the air, and he looked up to see the cloaked form of Solomon, standing beside the red-cloaked Vincent, strands of his black hair wavering in the wind. Suddenly Sazan, Tseng and Cid scaled the rise accompanied by a young woman, her fists glinting in the light as it caught the Nekote she was equipped with. A second pair of shots was fired, and Tifa cried out as she dodged one of the bullets, only to feel the second cut into her thigh. Sazan, Tseng and the red-clad woman leaped down from the rise, throwing missiles as they descended, and landed just in front of Cloud and Sephiroth, their preferred weapons at the ready. The blond man came to his feet, and paused when he saw the former General beside Aeris, but turned his head sharply about as Cid came and joined him, his Trident held at the ready.

            "Ah…so everyone's here now, what a pleasant surprise…" Zack announced, his voice echoing about them as he clapped his leather-clad hands together, a further outline his mockery of the two groups. "I wonder who could have been behind this," he said, and then cast a dark glare towards the two gun-wielders who came sliding down the mountainside, rejoining the ranks of their respective members. The dark haired man looked between the two groups, then sheathed his Buster Sword, sighing as he did so, "Well…it seems I'm greatly outnumbered…I don't stand a chance, so I'll continue this some other day," he said then turned his back, casting a glance towards Tifa, and walked away. Catching the signal, the dark-clad woman landed on the ground and walked with him towards the Reactor, where they had emerged from.

            Frowns of puzzlement passed over the faces of the two groups, and they dropped their guard to some degree, then a sudden cry erupted about them, seeming to be coming from everywhere. They all brought their hands up to their ears, letting out sharp cries of pain as they did so, for the sound pierced their minds, filling them with images of death and brutality. Spectres rose before them, taking shape in the air, then disappeared, low unearthly wails escaping them as they floated away, only to be replaced by more that appeared and followed suit. Cries and shrieks of things once living, and things that should remain unnamed filled the air about them, then the groups were aware of the clashing of blades.

            The members looked up, their eyes widened in surprise as they caught sight of Cloud and Sephiroth, their teeth grit as they strained against each other, their blades locked, as they wrestled for the upper hand. They parted at the same time, and jumped back, slashing once, then parted, and came together again, locking blades once more; their faces close, as they glared at each other with a degree of hate unimaginable. Bolts of red and blue lightning began to fizz into existence about them, tracing about their bodies and blades, arcing and lancing about them, creating a semi-circular dome about their figures. They continued to struggle with each other, and the dome continued to grow larger, then a sudden white light erupted about them, and a female cry erupted, joining the already deafening sounds the groups struggled to block out.

~End of Part: 1~ 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Intermission: 1 

Hello everyone! This is Erutan Xiku, in case it wasn't already obvious, lol. Anyhow, just wanted to say, that this 'Intermission' as I have chosen to call it, marks the End of Part: 1 of Final Fantasy VII: Destiny of the One Winged Angel, and will be here to answer any questions you may have about the story, so long as it is to do with Part: 1, only…also, I will be giving a long awaited, and HIGHLY deserved thanks to each and every one of you, especially since you have taken the time and patience to read through these long chapters (especially Chapter: 20, I apologise for the length, I just couldn't stop writing, and I couldn't find a satisfactory spot to end it) and review them as well. So, on with the thanks, and I will also throw in the answers to your questions when they come up:

To **Rueh**:  Thank you ever so much, I don't know what I would have ever done without you, you've been there since the VERY beginning of this story, and I'm just beyond any spoken emotion. Thanking you is not enough, but it's all I can say to express the gratitude I feel towards you, since you've given me the motivation to carry on with each chapter, especially when I just feel like I can't carry on anymore. Thank you again, so much and I hope you like where this story is going, and don't stop writing your wonderful tales too, I do check them out sometimes, when I'm not too bogged down with work. It's always a pleasure and a boost to see your reviews, since I know you may not like Cloud's part in the story, and I promise it will change, hopefully.

To **Divine Star**: Thanks for the support, with this story, and thanks so much for your views on my writing skills, personally I feel that I could do better, and so, I will carry on writing in the hopes of achieving my potential. Thank you, your words are inspiring, and are a source of motivation to find new ways of putting words together.

To **Mandy138**: I have to say, I know how annoying punctuation errors are, and I know there should be full stops and anything else where there is a comma, but I just can't bring myself to separate them like that. Anyhow, thanks for the compliments on the character portrayal, and I'm not sure if I'm going to have Seph and Aeris together or not, but who knows…

To **Mournblade1179**: Hehe, I'm honoured to feel that my writing has been a learning step for you, and I'm sure your writing isn't that bad, come on, all of us have our own unique styles, this happens to be mine, but thanks anyway ^_^

To **Fatal-Fantasy-X**: Thanks for the compliment, and as you can see, I've continued it, but it ends here for now.

To **Essex01**: I know, it's a bit tiresome to find Aeris portrayed the same way, and as an Aeris fan, I just need to break away from the norm, that is of her usually being a 'fluffy-flower-girl', or at least in the stories I've read…

To **dia3**: Thanks for the compliment, and I'm glad you think they're not all OOC, I was getting a tad worried that they may have been, lol.

To **AngelPaw**: Thanks, and as can be seen, I have continued to update, and will continue updating in the near future ^_^

To **IceyArticuno**: Wow, thanks so much for what you said about 'Song of Angels', and I did end up writing a Seph-based fic, titled 'Eternal Fall', hope you've read it, and I hope you liked it…personally, I feel it could have been better. Also, I thank you for your views on my writing skills, guess that means I've been improving ^_^ And I'm sorry about the way you feel about Lumira, its just that so far its only Tifa and Cloud who are inclined to protect her, everyone else is there for Cloud's sake, and are being polite, since they don't really know her. Thanks again, your reviews actually made my day that day, lol.

To **Chibi Sephy**: Thank you!!! You can be sure I won't give up on this story, ever, the long breaks between posts, is all due to writer's block, busy-ness and other stories for other stuff I'm into entering my mind and making their way onto the net, but never will I give up on this story. And thank you again, for your views on why this story appeals to you, and I'm happy to be delivering such works.

~*~

Important Note: Okay everyone, I'm sorry if I sounded like I was getting a big head over what I typed in my thanks to each of you, but I'm not, I'm just ecstatic at how you guys see my story, it keeps me going and feeds my mind with what to write next, even though this story has been in my head for like a year now, lol.

Anyway, this was meant to be an 'Important Note', lol, so lets get down to the point, the thing I won't be able to post up the chapters to Part: 2 for two MAIN reasons: 1) they're not type up yet, although the titles are ready and waiting to be used, and 2) I'm going on holiday for the month, to Fiji and NZ, so you can expect to see the chapters appearing by January 2004.

~*~

Answers to Questions:

What happened to Lumira? Is she brainwashed? 

Well, this question will be answered by the story in the next few chapters…but, I guess I could tell you, she is sort of brainwashed, but not entirely, the story will explain.

Why is Zack behaving the way he is? 

Keane brought him back to life, and so messed him up a bit, so you know, again all will be revealed as the story progresses. Zack still retains his memories of his life in SOLDIER, and still remembers his friends and foes, he's just being manipulated, but I don't want to ruin the whole plot, seeing as how this question has to do with future chapters.

~*~

P.S. Just wondering, you guys don't think the story'll be ruined if I threw in something intimate/explicit (possibly known as a lemon to some people) later one, do you? I mean, the idea isn't settled, since I'm not very sure, as I've never really liked writing lemons anyway…but if you think I could stick it in somewhere, then do say so, just don't suggest which pairings ~_^ I like to surprise. Thanks! ^_^


	21. In Dreams

Final Fantasy VII:

Destiny of the One Winged Angel 

~Part: 2~

Chapter: 21 – In Dreams 

The sounds of waves, lapping at the edges of the shores took formation among the particles of the air, vibrating them to carry their aquatic music. The winds blew, softly running through their hair, their eyes closed against its caresses, while their ears were open to its message, gaining some kind of foresight into what will be, while accumulating knowledge on what already is. The sweet scents of the various lands and towns tinted the breeze, throwing a wash of elegant and exotic images, heralding from all corners of the world upon which they gazed and walked.

            A sudden sound, sharp and clear, yet comforting to the ears, caught this persons attention. They opened their eyes, shades of sapphire blue, tinted with flecks of emerald glinted in the Sun as they turned about, their golden mane of hair moving elegantly behind them. A smile broke across their smooth features, welcoming the person that had caught their attention. This one had long dark, ebony-black hair, the deep shade contrasting with the soft cream of their skin. Their aurous eyes shone in the light, as they too smiled and stepped up to the blond haired one, the sharp, comforting sounds of the chimes that were attached to their clothes, singing as they moved. They stopped in front of the tall, blond person and looked into their eyes, boring into them with an emotion that was all too familiar between people sharing their relationship.

            "You've come back…" the words appeared, not spoken, but still heard, resting in the blond's mind, held momentarily, then disappearing, leaving the essence behind. The blond nodded, and continued to gaze at them, his heart yearning to take them in his arms and hold them in a tight embrace, never to let them go for it had been so long since last they were together. Sensing his loss for words, the golden-eyed woman closed the gap between them, wrapping her arms about him, holding him close and tight – why did it feel that this act seemed to be forbidden between them, after all, they had taken the vows, they were together forever, each day teaching them something new about each other, and thus increasing their love for one another. "Why are you so quiet?" the words came, appearing in his mind yet again. He swallowed back the lump that had formed, stroking her dark head, holding it close to him.

            "I need you so much…it's been so long, so long since I last saw you…and now…" he thought, opening the channel between himself and her, merging their minds so the words could be heard without them being spoken. She pulled back a little and looked up at him, her breathtaking eyes shining once, and then becoming a dark colour as they harboured her sad feelings. She understood what he meant; he had been called by their superior and was to leave her side again, maybe for a much longer time. He brought up a hand, and stroked her cheek with the back of it, tenderly caressing her soft flesh, "Not a moment goes by…that you never enter my thoughts, this distance hurts me so…and yet I must leave again…"

            "You must go, you can't do otherwise…I sense something important will happen, and you are the pivoting role…I can only pray that you will return one day, as I have done many times before," she said, taking his hand in hers and bringing it up to her lips, kissing it lightly before holding it to her heart. It was unfair, he had only just returned, and now he was to leave again, and she knew exactly how soon, "I will wait for you as always…even if we are to part, I will always wait for you, for I know we are destined to meet in whatever life we encounter each other…" she whispered, the words echoing true and sorrowful, for who knew what lives they were to lead after this, and if their hearts would pull together as they did now.

            A sudden flash occurred, and he found himself standing before a tall figure, a man with long, flowing silver hair, surrounded by several wings and dressed in golden robes. He had been thinking, lost in his memories of the previous day.

            "My Lord…I am ready to take on your request…to lead the army that has been mobilised against the threat that will soon come," he said, his emerald-flecked sapphire eyes locking onto the deep red ones that were appraising him. The figure stepped closer and placed a hand upon the blond's shoulder, their expression softening.

            "You understand what will happen if you take up this post…true you have been training for this, but you are aware of what is going to happen…" the blond nodded at these words, indicating he was aware, "I promise that she will be looked after…she is dear to me too, and I cannot see her hurt in any way, even though I know she will feel pain at this…but it is unavoidable, at least I can try to ease the pain somewhat…"

            "I thank you…but please…make sure that Vali is the one…I know he will take care of her well," he said, smiling towards his superior, as an image floated into his mind, portraying a man with long, dark hair and crimson eyes sitting beside the golden-eyed woman, smiling with her as they spoke. "I fear…I may not be able to return…at least make sure that she will be happy, I will set out immediately and take up position," he stepped back and bowed, then turned and quickly walked away, barely catching the saddened expression that had settled over the silver-haired man.

~*~

A sharp pain ran through him, as the blade of his enemy ran through his belly, the weapon obviously protruding through his back as they looked at him with dark, hate-filled eyes. Their black, green-tipped hair danced in the winds that blew, carrying the cries of battle and death, the scent of blood and fear and rage. Another sharp pain pierced through him, entering this time from his shoulder, forcing him to slump to his knees as a pained-cry escaped him. He looked up, sweat-soaked strands of his hair falling into his face as he gazed at the malevolent figure, laughing above him. He cried out again, blood escaping from his mouth, as the lance that pierced his shoulder was wrenched violently out. A booted foot placed itself upon his chest, pushing down hard, as his adversary wrenched the blade that was embedded in his body violently out, causing him to fall back onto the blood-soaked ground. His breath came in shuddering pulls, the blood and colour draining from his face, as he knew he had only a few precious moments left upon this earth.

            Images and sounds flashed through him, his childhood, his years spent training, the first time he met his beloved and the sadness he felt at the slim chance he may have with her, the joy he felt on the day they were joined as one, his wish fulfilled, the last words shared between them.

            "Forgive me…" he whispered, the words trailing away as he came to realise that he had known all along the outcome of this battle, and what had to be done. This was also a part of his training, something he was never taught fully, for to invoke such a thing required the life of the invoker, and this was the time to use it. The figure had long walked past him, but he had to do this, to prevent anymore suffering of this kind, he pushed himself up, gasping at the unbearable pain that sliced through him. He staggered to his feet, clutching at the wound at his belly, ignoring the one screaming at him from his wounded shoulder. He felt his curse spread open behind him, black feathers tumbling down as his life began to wane, something he could not allow as of yet, _'At least…she didn't get to look upon me like this…cursed as I am for the post I have taken up…'_ he thought, and stepped hurriedly in the wake of the one that had wounded him so.

~*~*~*~

A/N: I'm back and ready to finish this story!!! ^_^


	22. Enraptured Hearts

Final Fantasy VII:

Destiny of the One Winged Angel Chapter: 22 – Enraptured Hearts 

"It seems the pilot test went well," commented Keane, his smooth, sharp tones ringing against the dull and almost inaudible hum of the machines that lived in his laboratory. He stepped up towards the tube, which held the sleeping girl, her body rejuvenating among the Liquid Mako, after the experience she just had, "A shame the experience was sort of…short-lived, considering the change of heart she had towards the end, just as she was able to crush them all,"

            "What do you expect…she's young…her mind isn't as fully developed, nor comfortable as an adults," the dark-haired man mused, looking upon the floating form, his eyes penetrating into the light green liquid, dotted through with countless colourless bubbles. "How did you know she wouldn't react negatively to the Liquid Mako?" he asked, turning his face away to meet the gray-eyed man, as he assessed the figure in the tube.

            "Its quite expectant, seeing as how she has met the descriptions depicted in those 'mythical' books," he replied, waving a hand to set the subject aside, his voice rising slightly to express the humour he felt, at remembering how those books were written. He turned his face and met the inquisitive gaze of Zack; the man had sustained minor injuries, in comparison to the two women, the youngest of who currently occupied the Liquid Mako-filled tube. It was a shame really, the older woman had to heal at the rate her mortal body allowed her to, considering the fact that she had not been given the Mako treatment, something he could have taken care of, but for some reason, he refused to defile her humanity anymore than it already was. "Why don't you go check on Tifa? She was wounded quite badly, she may need to be checked on," a frown flitted across the dark-haired mans brow, but only momentarily as he realised that he had completely forgotten about the newly-powered woman, the enhancements allowing her to cast any form of magic at will.

            "Very well…" he said, his words echoing in the silence, trailing off as he nodded and turned away, making his way towards the sleeping quarters. Keane watched as he left and sighed, facing the young girl among the Liquid Mako, it was better this way…there wouldn't be any pain for him, nor for her, no matter how much he cared.

~*~

Zack's footsteps echoed off the dark, pulsating walls, in all the time he had been here, he had never truly found out the source of this place, nor where it was actually located, all he knew was that it was somewhere that he could transport himself to with a little thought and concentration. He continued to walk along the dim halls, lit at regular intervals on both sides, by almond-shaped lights, which seemed to be the size of a fist. His cape followed behind him, carried by the breeze that was created by his passing. He came to a stop outside a door, which had a black colour to it, and bore a golden leaf at the top, etched with an ornate letter 'T'. He drew in a breath and knocked, hoping that she was alright, and was rewarded by the sounds of barely audible 'clicks', followed by a muffled consent of entry.

            "Tifa…I came to check on you, are you okay?" he asked, pushing the door open and entering the dim, red-lit room. The room was well ordered, a table and high-backed chair decorating one side of the room, while the bed on the opposite side. His eyes roamed about, taking in each detail, and noting that nothing had changed since the last time he had been here. He stepped inside closing the door, and allowed his gaze to rest upon the bed, where the brown-haired woman was sitting cross-legged, watching his every move.

            "So nice of you to come," she said, not moving from where she was, "I took care of my wounds, if that's what you came to check over, all I have to do is wait and rest," she added, her gaze locked hard onto his. Zack walked into the room, making his way to the table and seated himself in the chair. "I never said you could take a seat," she scowled, her expressionless gaze turning into one that matched her irritated tone. He glanced her way and shrugged, then leaned backwards, throwing his booted feet atop the table. Her eyes narrowed and she came to her feet, wincing slightly at the pain that triggered from the weight on her wounded leg, and grit her teeth.

            "Hey, don't get up because of me," he said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. She growled and came forwards, raising an arm above her head, orange sparks taking form in the space above her hand, only to fizzle out as she fell backwards, landing on her bed. "Hey…you sure you're okay?" Zack asked, bringing his feet back to the dark, carpeted floor. He rose out of the chair, and moved around the table only to stop, as she pushed herself up, her expression fatigued.

            "I'm fine…" she managed to say, then winced, "I just can't use my power anymore…every time I try…this happens, and I'm left tired and barely mobile…" she looked up at him, her eyes worried, "what's happening to me?" The dark-haired man blinked, then moved towards her, stopping and kneeling before her. He laid his hands on her shoulders and met her gaze.

            "I'm sorry this was done to you…your body needs to heal your wounds, which is why your powers are inaccessible, they're being used to heal you…just like the Liquid Mako is used to heal me…" he explained, his eyes relieving the barrier he had put over them, allowing them to show his true feelings. Her eyes welled up at the sincerity she found within them, and she brought her hands up, burying her face within them as she wept. His brow drew close, as he found himself yearning to feel what she felt, how it was to have such power and not be able to use them at this time, how it felt to be purely human one moment, then something else, something you didn't know the next. At least he was still human, only infused with Mako, which hadn't altered him in any way, other than the basics needed for SOLDIER, which could possibly be gained through intensive training on its own. He leant forward, bringing his arms about her, holding her as he rested her head against his shoulder.

            Her form shuddered and she seemed to cry even more. The way he held her, the way he silently comforted her, it all reminded her of that time, when someone else had comforted her this way, when she perceived the possibility that she had failed in something, somehow…it seemed so long ago now, so far away…she brought her head up and met his silent, dark-blue gaze. If only she had thanked him that time…well, she'll have to thank this one instead, before she regretted this one too. Her hands rose up, her crying brought to a halt, as she looked at him and rested her hands upon the cheeks of his face.

            "Tifa…" the name passed his lips in a hushed whisper, barely audible. She brought her face close to his, her lips parting as she closed her eyes, then she paused, seeming to think otherwise, then placed her mouth over his. He froze, surprise and shock running through him, as he realised at that moment how he felt, but wondered if it was some kind of foolhardy reaction to the situation. _'Foolhardy or not…I know how I feel at this moment…'_ he thought, then tightened his embrace, drawing her ever closer as he returned her kiss, closing his eyes as he did so.


	23. Comforting Those In Need

Final Fantasy VII:

Destiny of the One Winged Angel 

Chapter: 23 – Comforting Those In Need

The sounds of shuffling, as someone moved about the room he slept in, reached his ears, and penetrated his mind, dragging it into the world of consciousness. His brow twitched as a light passed over his face, and then his eyes opened, looking up into the dark ceiling above. He frowned, as he drew in a deep breath, this place didn't look familiar to him. The sight above him was of a deep green ceiling, apparently made of thick branches of some unknown tree. The sharp, tangy scents of the forest rushed into him, as he realised the existence of the aroma, which he had not noticed until now.

            "You're awake," came a familiar, gentle voice. The sound of it set his mind immediately at ease, but he quickly came to unrest as another worry plagued him, just where were they and what happened to the others. He turned his head to find Aeris seated upon a chair, beside the bed he lay upon.

            "Where are we…what happened?" he asked, propping himself up on one elbow, to get into a slight sitting position. She placed a hand to his chest, to ease him back down gently. He complied and waited silently for an answer, as a small smile touched her features then vanished.

            "The others are alright, they're in the town right now…we're somewhere in the Forest of the Ancients…I think, at least that's what I've gathered from communing with the Planet," she answered, pausing for a while to register the momentary sparkle of surprise, which passed upon the silver-haired warriors face, "even if no-one around here wishes to disclose anything of our whereabouts, they seem to be waiting for you…or something to happen before they set us free," she continued, looking about the simply furnished room they shared.

            "Who…what are you talking about? How can we be so far down south from Nibelheim?" Sephiroth asked, frowning in confusion, as what she had said didn't appear to make any logical sense, "How long have I been asleep?" The Cetra's expression softened, as she looked at him.

            "About seven days…that's how long we've been here," she replied, standing up and pulling the covers up to his chin. The green-eyed man pushed himself up, noting that they had spent so much time here, and that they had to leave as soon as possible. Aeris frowned and stepped back, understanding that he intended to get up and decide their next plan of action. To her surprise, the former General shuddered and fell back upon the soft bed, moaning lightly as he felt his insides ache with an intensity he had never felt before, rendering him as weak as child.

            "Aeris…tell me, what happened?" he asked, wrapping his about his midsection, then rolled onto his side, facing her as she sat back down. She looked at him, and sighed, closing her eyes to see if there was anything significant she could recall. Images of the battle with Zack, and the new form of Tifa flashed before her minds eye, then ended with the onset of the haunting images of the dead.

            "I'm sorry…all I remember is the battle with Zack, and then with Tifa…followed by those…dead things," she replied, shaking her head in frustration. Sephiroth sighed irritably, then turned about, turning his back to her, pulling the covers up with him as he curled into a ball. The pain was beginning to subside, but still it was so very frustrating, since her answer had not even given him the information he needed.

            "I don't even remember the dead things…what did you mean by that?" he inquired, turning his head slightly so as to allow his voice to sound clear. He heard Aeris stand up and walk away from where he lay, stepping towards the other bed, as she thought of a way to explain.

            "Dead things…or rather spirits of the dead…when Zack and Tifa turned away to go…a sharp cry, similar to that of the Planet, erupted, the source unknown, and spectres started to rise out of the ground…human, animal…monster…all of them, but I don't remember much, because I blacked out shortly after the onset…" she explained, then turned about as a sudden thought struck her, "just what did you mean by not remembering that incident? The other two did…but they didn't say anything much after that," The silver-haired man sighed, turning his face back to the wall, as he continued to hold himself in a ball.

            "I don't know…all I remember is seeing Zack turn away, then nothing more…I felt a struggle within myself, then a hatred beyond anything I could describe, but I don't remember anything…nothing visual, nor physical…just emotional…" he replied, the words coming out slowly, expressing his thoughts as he spoke. His brow drew down in an exasperated frown, _'Why is this happening…I'm supposed to find out why I was sent back…not to get side-tracked with petty situations…'_

            "What if Zack happens to have something to do with all this…what if he has answers we need…what if he is the key…" came Aeris' voice, as she seemed to be musing upon the same subject, which startled the former General out of his own thoughts.

            "What…?" he asked, hoping that he heard right, or that it wasn't anything out of his imagination. He waited for an answer, but received none. He frowned, and focused on his hearing, hoping to hear any sign of the woman within his presence. A sudden sob startled him, causing him to turn about and find the Cetra on her knees, one hand upon the other bed. "Aeris-"

            "He's with her…I can feel it…the way, I can't-" she whispered, her voice evidently pained by what she was experiencing.

            "Aeris…what are you talking about? Who's with who?" Sephiroth asked, his tone bewildered at the dejected words he received as an answer.

            "Zack…he's…" she trailed off, unable to finish the sentence, as the full emotion of loss overtook her, and she began to cry with more force. A lump of sympathy formed in the former Generals throat, and he came into a sitting position, wincing at the pain lancing through him, and cast aside the blankets that were covering him. He came to his feet, shaking slightly, one arm wrapped about his waist, and made his way towards her kneeling form.

            "Aeris…" he said, coming to kneel behind her, and brought his arms up and wrapped them about her slim frame, trying to comfort the distraught woman, "…at least…it isn't Cloud…he's still there for you," he said, holding her close to him.

            "But…since that day…I've had time to think…to see why…and I think, I always knew Cloud was never Cloud…but was carrying on for Zack…" she whispered, the tears trickling down her smooth cheeks, and soaked into the cloak gathered about her neck, as she bowed her head, "and so I only…oh Sephiroth," she whimpered, turning about so suddenly, burying her face into his bare chest, "it's all so messed up…I don't even know what's going on anymore…not since Nibelheim…" Shocked at this strange event, the silver-haired warrior was at a loss for words, unable to find any word or phrase in his memory, which could be used to ease her aching heart. Instead, he did the only thing he could do at that moment, and that was draw her ever closer into his embrace, resting the side of his face against the soft mat of earth-brown hair.

~*~

"So…what manner of Race were these people again?" Sazan asked, gazing at the wonderfully crafted structures of the buildings and sculptures, which dotted the town they walked through. They had been finally allowed to traverse the streets of this tranquil, yet bustling place, which seemed quite odd, as they had not been allowed to leave the confines of that Inn for six days.

            "They're Ilex…you might know them as Elves in Faerie Mythology…but you can quickly see some of the differences…" Solomon replied, his soft voice just audible over the sounds of laughing children, as they passed a group playing dares. The dark-clad ninja looked about, comparing what he knew of Elves, to these Ilex, and saw that they had the same, long, sharp ears, the large, keen eyes, and the tall, slender figures. However, as he looked at them, he could see that despite those similarities, they had almost invisible wisps following them as they walked, seeming to take the shape of transparent wings, which could easily be passed through. They also had hair and eyes of varying shades and colours, sometimes having two or more mixed in with each other, while Elves were known to have one colour, as humans.

            "I see…I'm sure there are more…but tell me, how do you know about this Race?" he asked, turning his head away from the sight of a lavender and cerulean haired female, with startling green eyes, seeming to be about his age. The white-clad man smiled, as he watched the young ninja pull up the black cloth at his neck, to cover his lower face.

            "Well…let's just say, I'm a very knowledgeable man…also…I managed to get one of those maids to tell me a thing or two," he replied, then caught the shocked look on the others face, and quickly cleared his throat, "I didn't do that…I just asked her…and agreed to help her with a few chores,"

            "Oh…if that's the way you want to put it…you white devil," Sazan teased, giving the older man a sly look. Solomon scowled and turned the look into disbelief, as he shook his head, sighing as he did so. The ninja laughed heartily, and patted the white-cloaked man on the back, "I was only joking…don't take it seriously…um, reckon we ought to get back?" The older man looked about, and saw that they were a good distance away, and had seen most of what they wanted to, sating their need for fresh air, and nodded.

~*~*~*~

A/N: I apologise greatly for late update, I've been having a round of writer's block, and I've been busy with coursework and exam preparation, I ask for your forgiveness, and please keep up your golden quality of patience *bows*


	24. The Pain I Feel

Final Fantasy VII:

Destiny of the One Winged Angel

Chapter: 24 – The Pain I Feel

The sounds and cries of battle filled his ears, causing his brow to crease. He felt his body becoming weaker with each step he took, ignoring the severe wounds he had sustained at his belly and shoulder, just as he ignored the small and minor cuts and bruises about him. It was becoming harder to breathe – a struggle he hoped he would never have had to experience, but since it had befallen him now…he could only hope that he would win out this battle for just a little while longer. He paused suddenly, his throat tightening, something was wrong. He brought a hand up to his mouth, feeling it begin to water as something began to rise up, then doubled over, hunching his shoulders while bringing the other hand to his mid-section. Iron washed through his mouth and forced its way out into the open, gushing out in crimson waves. He fell to his knees, pausing to regain himself, but his vision began to cloud over as he fell forwards, collapsing into the comforting embrace of unconsciousness…maybe even death.

Cloud's eyes suddenly snapped open as he lurched forwards, gasping for breath. The sudden movement of his once sleeping form, now awake, startled the only other person occupying the room, having felt the need to watch over the young man as he rested. A sudden cry escaped the now awake blond, as his arms wrapped about his sides and he collapsed back among the soft comfort of the bed he lay upon. Vincent came to his feet, rushing to the other's side, placing a steady hand upon the man's shoulder.

"Hey…are you alright?" he asked, his voice gentle yet urgent, as he looked upon the usually smooth features contort in agony, "You can't have been wounded that bad…you don't even have any to cause this sort of pain," he added, his voice rising slightly. Cloud turned on his side, facing the dark-haired man, as he continued to whimper. The older man stepped back a bit, but paused at the sound of his name.

"Vincent…" the blond managed to say, gasping between deep pulls of breath. He could feel the back of his throat begin to claw at him, just as if he was about to vomit, but there was nothing to bring back up, "the pain…it hurts, I don't understand it, I-" he was hushed into silence, as the red-clad man drew his seat closer and occupied it.

"Where does it hurt? Maybe I can get Tseng to check it out, if I can't do anything about it," he said, placing his hands gently upon the other's arms, as he tried to coax them to part. Cloud shook his head, smiling weakly as he let his arms relax, and move to his sides.

"It's okay…don't worry about it, even though it kills…the pain seems to be subsiding," he said reassuringly, as his friend began to visually check him over, before using the prod-technique. Cloud moved a hand to his abdomen, as the other came to rest beneath his head and smiled, "Guess I shouldn't do any sudden movements, huh," he added then began to chuckle, only to wince in pain and suck in a breath. Vincent cast him a stern look, clicking his tongue as he did so, and poked the blond in the shoulder, "Ow! Dammit, that hurts!" the younger man exclaimed, swatting the other's hand away, before it could make contact with his chest, "stop it, okay…the pain'll go…it could be muscle cramp for all I know," he said, rubbing his shoulder, while matching the scolding gaze he received from the ebony-haired man. He sat there for a while, his blood-red eyes boring into the sapphire blue ones that glared back at him, then pushed back and stood up.

"Fine…I was only trying to help, I'll leave you to your business," he said, turning his gaze into a cold one, and then turned away from the startled blond, making his way to the door. He opened the door, and paused, turning back to look at the young man, "You can't really blame me for being concerned…with the way you cried out like that…what else was I supposed to think," he stated, his tone flat and facial expression blank…reminding Cloud of when they had first met, those five years ago. Before he could say a word, the red-clad man stepped through the door and closed it, leaving the other staring at the door, his mouth open in the formation of whatever he had intended on saying.

Cloud grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes in frustration, _'What crawled up his ass and refused to leave…'_ he thought to himself, as he made himself comfortable upon the bed he lay upon. He didn't like being babied, he was a grown man and certain things were bound to disturb him…as much as he appreciated the fact that they cared about him and their expertise in medical areas…sometimes, even now…it was hard to discern the reasons behind their behaviour, _'It was bad enough having Tseng take care of me…now Vincent wants to too…just why can't they let me handle my wounds…after all I received them, and so I'm responsible for them…'_ he thought, as he studied the deep green ceiling, focusing his eyes on one spot, and using that spot to vent most of the negative feelings he felt at that moment.

As he continued to gaze up, his arms folded beneath his head, his gaze softened and his eyes widened in curiosity…just where was he anyway…this place didn't seem like the inn at Nibelheim, nor was it his own home or any other home within the small town. _'Hm…guess I should've asked when I had the chance…'_ he thought to himself, then suddenly sat up as another thought occurred, but before it could process a strangled cry escaped him as his body burned with the pain he had experienced only moments before. His arms wrapped about his sides, as he closed his eyes and curled in on himself, breathing heavily, trying to steady himself. He straightened slowly, once the pain had gone down a bit, and eased himself steadily against the headboard, his brow drawn slightly as he began to steady his breathing.

Once he had relaxed enough, he opened his eyes, his face slightly flushed, the sharp pain, slowly becoming a dull ache, _'Man…this sucks…how long have I been bed-ridden, I need to get out of here…for Lumira and Ti-'_ just as soon as the name began to form in his mind, he drew in a sharp breath, as his body became rigid. His hands clenched at sheets gathered at his waist, and he sat up, wincing back the pain, but ignoring it entirely, as he tried to sort out the sensation he was experiencing. He felt a kind of warmth grow within him, a kind of hunger…a desire that he couldn't recognise, but knew was familiar. Along with this feeling, came the shattering sense of loss…a cold and empty void beginning to open up, swallowing the animalistic sense that had preceded it…and he knew. He knew he had lost her…she was taken now, entwined with the one he had once considered close to a brother. A sudden drop of liquid caught his attention, as it fell and soaked into the sheets at his waist. He looked down and saw that it was joined with a few more drops, his knuckles beginning to turn white, with the anguish he felt.

* * *

"So tell us…why did you decide to join us, Yuki?" Tseng asked, as he idly browsed a nearby bookcase for something worth nosing through.

"Huh?" came the query, as the young girl was taken aback by the sudden question, which had come out of the blue, as they had been discussing what was going on with the present situation, only moments before. The three of them; Cid, Tseng and Yuki, had made their way to the library in this town, after having wandered about with no particular destination in mind, as they had been finally allowed to leave the confines of the inn they had been mysteriously left at. From the day they had woken up, they had not been allowed to leave and explore, and since for some strange reason they were finally allowed to today, they had jumped at the chance.

"You know…why did you decide to come along on this crazy ride?" came the gruff repetition from Cid, who sat in one of the four chairs about the table they were at. Yuki lifted her head, from where it lay upon her arms, as she watched Tseng from behind, and turned it to face the middle-aged pilot. She opened her mouth to reply, but paused as she turned her head again to watch as the former head of the Turks joined them at the table, having found a book on the history of this town. Her attention was snapped back to the question that had been asked, as Cid impatiently cleared his throat.

"Hm…I thought you knew why I came…" she said, but only received a blank stare from the pilot, and an absent-minded shrug from the former Turk. Yuki sighed and pushed herself up, leaning back into her seat, as she gazed up at the ceiling, stretching for a while, returning back to lying upon the table, resting her head upon her folded arms, "Yuffie asked me to…so I obliged…" she added, then drifted off, seeming to have answered the question. Not satisfied with the answer, Cid was about to say something more, but was cut off as the young girl began to speak again, "Also…I'm kinda looking for my older brother…he left Wutai on a journey, and hasn't come back yet…considering it's been somewhere close to a year now…" her tone was sad as she said this, the words just a whisper.

"A year?" Tseng repeated, looking up from the book he had been thumbing through. Yuki nodded in response, not meeting his gaze, as she turned her head about, and faced the bookcases away from the two men, "What makes you think he's still alive?" he asked, in a pretty straightforward and matter-of-fact tone. The young Wutaian's figure seemed to slack for a bit, then stiffened.

"Because…I know he's still alive…he's a tough thread to snap," she said, then sat up, a smile on her face as she leaned into her chair, folding her arms, "and before you say it…it's not just blind hope, oh hey Vincent!" she greeted, standing up in her chair as the red-clad man came towards them, "is he awake yet?" The dark-haired man smiled, and raised a hand in greeting, then occupied the remaining chair beside Tseng.

"Well?" Cid prompted, leaning forwards a bit, eager to hear what the man had to say. Vincent's red eyes flashed in amusement, as a tired expression came over him as he stretched out his neck, and then folded his arms loosely.

"Well…he's awake," he reported, then continued before any of them could interrupt, "but…he seems to be complaining of something he claims to be 'muscle cramp', although I doubt it's nothing as small as that, since he cried out a bit on the 'I'm-in-incredible-pain' side,"

"Well…if it sounds that bad, did you try to see what it was?" Tseng asked, closing his book, now that they had some news on their leader. Vincent gave him an exasperated look, which Tseng took for a 'yes', "Hm…want me to take a look?" The crimson-eyed man rolled his eyes, and let out an irritated sigh.

"You see, our dear leader doesn't wish to be babied…I guess it disturbs him to have us care for him in such a way…" he explained, to which Tseng raised an eyebrow and displayed a small smile, while Cid and Yuki blinked in misunderstanding. Vincent looked across to them, and his eyes flashed with an idea, "Hey, Yuki…why don't you go and check on him…I'm sure he'd like to be treated by a woman rather than a man…" he grinned and chuckled lightly, as he looked upon the aghast expression that had settled upon her features, "don't worry, I'm not trying to set you up with him…just expressing an idea, if you're willing to help us find out what's up with the guy,"

"You mean to say, that after all we've been through…he thinks…he, man I'm gonna knock some long-awaited sense into that damned boy!" the pilot fumed, rising out of his chair. The others watched as he left their company without a backward glance, then shrugged as they too rose, and followed him back to the inn, having their own matters to discuss with the seemingly troublesome blond.

* * *

A/N: Hey readers, Erutan here, I'm sorry for this late update, I know it's been something like 2 months now, but here's the 4th Chapter of Part: 2, I hope it's enjoyable…and hopefully I'll have time to update more on this story after my exams are over in 2 weeks time.

Thank you for the patience and the will to write

Take Care all of you

-Erutan Xiku

P.S. If you want to send an e-mail, feel free to do so, my e-mail is found in my profile.


	25. Ilexian Audience

Final Fantasy VII:

Destiny of the One Winged Angel

Chapter: 25 – Ilexian Audience

He had no idea how long he had been this way, holding her form close to him, helpless towards the pain she felt. He couldn't remember when she had brought her gentle hanpnds up, their slender fingers once clutched at his shoulders, now locked behind his neck, her face now buried into his nape. More than once his throat had locked up, signalling the threat of his empathy, and more than once he pulled on this mask, knowing all too well that his compassion would have no positive effects.

"Forgive me, Sephiroth…" came her gentle whisper, startling him out of his own thoughts. He hadn't realised when she had stopped crying altogether, and simply stayed within his embrace.

"How long…have we been this way?" he asked, not wanting to break the embrace, as it meant the barriers would be put up again, and he would once again enter his cold world, where the distance between them became hundreds of miles, though only an arms length away. As he felt her shift within his hold, he regretted his question, but did not let his displeasure show through, as she pulled away and looked at him. He felt his heart tremble slightly, as she brought one of her hands down, resting it upon his chest, while wiping delicately at her face with the other, then smiled up at him.

"I'm really sorry…I don't have any idea…it's just that…" she trailed off as she sorted out her thoughts and motive, then continued as she caught the question forming in his eyes, "I guess I…" she looked away, her cheeks beginning to take a shade of pink, towards red, as she realised how they appeared. She was lost for words, but froze when she felt one of his hands cup her chin within the crook of his index finger, gently coaxing her face to turn towards his. Her brow drew close as she worked her jaw, trying to form words to an explanation that didn't exist, "I…just…" she was gently hushed to silence, as his own brow drew together in uncertainty.

He drew his face closer to hers, pausing to discern whether what he wanted to do was right…his heart felt heavy, and it seemed to be holding him back. He swallowed, and then turned his face away, as he stood up and walked towards the wardrobe, where he hoped his clothes were. He winced as he straightened his posture, and opened the wardrobe, letting out a sigh of relief as he saw his jacket teasing him from within. He turned his head, as the sudden, barely audible click of the door closing, caught his attention…marking the departure of the woman who had been here moments before, as well as the gulf that had reopened itself.

-o-

_'Just what in Gaia's name is wrong with me…'_ she thought to herself sadly, as she closed the door behind her and leaned against it. Her heart was beating fast, just as it had done, once before at Kalm. She felt her face glowing red, her emotions a mix of shame, embarrassment and whatever else she didn't want to admit. She couldn't understand what was happening to her, over the time she had spent with the former General, her murderer…she had actually began to soften to him. Her eyes stung as she tried to sort out her feelings, she didn't know who she felt closer to, Cloud or Sephiroth…she had lost Zack, once to death, and now to the enemy, which added to her pain.

She needed time to think, but couldn't even do that since she was bonded to the one person she would have killed without a second thought. Yes, he was different, yes, he seemed to be clear of his manipulation by Jenova, yes, he seemed to be a completely different person to the tyrant she knew…but…there was always a chance that that could change. _'Didn't Zack say that the General he worked with was a great guy…and yet…'_ her thoughts trailed off, as she turned about facing the door to his room, and placed a hand upon it, the hand becoming a fist as the memories of his dark deeds ran through her, causing her to close her eyes against them.

"Aeris?" a concerned voice asked, startling the Cetra out of her private musings. She turned about, coming face-to-face with the questioning features of Sazan and indifferent expression of Solomon, the former being the one to catch her attention, "Aeris, what's wrong?" he asked, taking in her pained expression. Realising that she hadn't masked her state of mind, Aeris blinked and smiled, quickly remedying her features.

"Nothing's wrong…I was just-" she began to say, but was cut off as another voice spoke up, saving her from having to make up a fallible lie.

"You must be with the company of the silver-haired man…" the three turned towards the person who had addressed them. A tall Ilexian male with black hair and orange strands, stood behind them, his sharp orange eyes piercing in their gaze. He was dressed in a crisp, cream-coloured suit with gold trim, a complimenting sash wrapped about his waist. The priest-collared jacket of his suit was long, splitting from beneath the sash and reaching just past his knees. Black boots completed the outfit, reaching up to his knees and bunched the trousers around the neck.

His calm, yet piercing gaze, swept over the trio and then fixed itself on the door they stood outside, knowing that the fourth person was awake. As the door opened, two pairs of startled eyes fixed themselves upon it, accompanied by a pair of indifferent ones. A head of silver appeared, the owner clothed in the clothes they had worn throughout this journey, their weapon strapped to their back. Their hair was slightly longer now, though no strands reached past their shoulders. The man turned about, closing the door behind him and met the gazes of the three people looking at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted as someone cleared their throat, thus catching his attention. He frowned as he took in their unfamiliar appearance.

"Who-" he began, but was cut off as the strange person, he guessed was male, raised a hand to silence him.

"Please follow me," the dark-haired person said, turning about and leading the company of four to where he was ordered to take them.

-o-

"Cid! Wait, it's not like that!" a distressed cry rang out from the room occupied by Cloud Strife.

"Oh it's not, eh? Then tell me what it's like?" the gruff voice of Cid Highwind growled in a threatening manner. Vincent stood by the door inside the room, letting out a sigh, while cocking his head to the side thus avoiding a vase that shattered upon impact with the doorframe. Yuki stood beside him, eyes wide in surprise and fascination as she watched a half naked Cloud dancing out of the grasp of an angry Cid. With each harsh movement the blond made, his face seem to twitch with the pain he experienced, but survival was more important to him than sensitivity to his condition.

"Cid…please," the former head of the Turks began, his tone beseeching to the pilot, "this is no way to-"

"Shut up Tseng!" the older man snarled, leaping towards the tiring blond, only to land face-first into the potted plant in the corner of the room. The young leader of the group let out a victory cheer, as he threw a blanket over his comrade, before dancing to the other side of the bed.

"There's no way you'll catch me like that, old m-" he jeered, only to let out a yelp as he saw the middle-aged man come to his feet, towering above the one-inch shorter blond. He attempted to run away, only to land hard against the polished wood floor, as a hand clamped about his ankle, eliciting a cry of surprise.

"Ha! Caught you, you little smart-ass," Cid exclaimed victoriously, as he pulled himself up and pinned the younger man, "Tseng, get over here and do your check-up," Letting out a sigh, the former head of the Turks stepped forward, kneeling beside the pinned blond and prepared to check him over, when the clearing of a throat caught his attention.

"You are aware that from my point-of-view…your position looks kind of…awkward," a feminine voice commented, causing the occupants of the room to turn their heads towards the source. Standing in the doorway was a woman, an amused expression upon her features as she took in the scene before her, "Or intimate…if that's what you were up to…" she said, stifling a giggle as the two men suddenly flushed in embarrassment, the older of the two leaping away from the other to stand against the wall and look somewhat dignified. The blond man pushed himself up into a sitting position, laughing nervously as he did so, while the dark-haired man came to his feet and helped the blond up.

"Um…excuse me miss…" came the enquiring voice of Yuki, who had come to stand before the strange looking person and inspect their appearance. The most noticeable feature they had, were their elfin-like ears, though taking into account their shoulder-length hair, it was clear that they weren't elves, for their hair was orange, streaked through with blond – a colour combination that elves did not have. "Would you mind telling me…what race you are…exactly?" the young girl asked, her words expressing just how uncomfortable she was with the idea of asking someone's race. The woman smiled kindly and opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off as the man standing beside the blond spoke up.

"Yuki, according to the book I read…they're Ilex, a race that has kept themselves hidden for many years," Tseng informed, eyes fixed upon the woman at the door.

"Oh…" the young Wutaian said, pausing as she took in the Ilexians appearance. A frown creased her brow, as another question popped out, "Are you of some high social standing or something?" she asked, "Only just that you're dressed in very formal attire," she added to clarify her reasoning. The Ilexian woman smiled, chuckling softly at the youth's inquisitiveness.

"I work for the Royal Family as one of many attendants," all the men in the room narrowed their eyes, their attention focused on the woman standing in the doorway, while Yuki continued to gaze and listen in awed silence. Understanding that the male occupants were suspicious as to why the Royal Family would send an attendant for them, she began to clarify for them, "I was sent to lead you to the Palace…our Lady requests an audience with your company…" she paused here to look upon the still half-naked Cloud, "…I'll be waiting until you're decent," The Ilexian woman flashed a wink and smiled seductively, stifling a laugh as she caught sight of the blond flushing in embarrassment, just before she turned to walk towards the banister of the floor they were on and leaned against it.

"Ahem," the sound caught the attention of four heads, which turned to meet the composed, yet slightly red, expression of Cloud, "mind giving me a little privacy," he said, raising an eyebrow. Realising what he meant, Yuki was the first to leave, joining the Ilexian at the banister, while Vincent stayed where he was and Cid stopped at the doorway, turning to face Tseng.

"You sure you don-" the dark-haired man began to say, but was cut off by a vehement glare shot his way by the blond, who had picked up on what was going to be said, "Okay, we'll see you outside," the former head of the Turks said. He turned swiftly and walked out the door, followed by the remaining two men, the last being Cid, who closed the door behind them.

-o-

The two companies were lead to the Palace, stepping out of the buildings they had thought were inns, but were in fact Palace guest rooms, located closer to the town for tourism and respite purposes. They were lead through another exit; one that they hadn't been permitted to leave through, as two guards on either side had been stationed there, preventing their departure. Neither party were able to see the other, as they were lead to the Palace; they followed a smooth, brick pathway that was set in well manicured grass. Arches lined the pathway, occurring every ten feet; these were made out of cream coloured marble, designed in the fashion of two thick vines entwined about each other, becoming thinner as they met at the top, wrapping about the base of a magnolia flower. At the centre of these flowers, were bulbs that would light up in the night, guiding people who walked these grounds to their destinations.

A fountain was erected at the centre of the grounds, displaying the figure of an Ilexian woman clad in long, sweeping robes. A kind smile was etched upon her features, her head lowered in a humble manner, as her arms were spread to her sides in a welcoming fashion. Water sprang about her and away from her form, reaching to her waist and falling back into the pool at her feet. All the pathways met at this point; some people could be seen lounging by the fountain, seated upon the benches or leaning against the ornament itself.

The two parties continued on, walking past the fountain and towards the Palace, which could be seen becoming gradually larger as they neared it. Various trees were planted about the area, grouped in small groves where people could sit in the shade, or admire the beauty from a bench. Some of these groves were part of water gardens, or had ponds where wildlife could dwell – adding to the beauty of the Palace grounds.

They came to a stop outside the Palace, where the guides allowed them time to take in the building. It was a magnificent sight of sheer white walls, spreading out to either side and rising for total of three floors at each end. From a distance, they had been able to admire the rectangular shape of the building; a single floor at the front, with the back becoming a dome. Windows dotted each of the floors at regular intervals, not a single one was dark, as lights remained on to allow people to go about their business within the walls. Lining the rooftop of the Palace, were statues of various Ilexian men and women, each one different in their clothing – an indicator that each had been erected within a different era.

The onlookers' attention was grasped, as their guide opened the door, motioning for them to enter the grand building. They filed in and were completely awe-struck at the amount of white marble used to decorate the interior. The floor had a checkerboard pattern of white marble and cream brick, complimenting the four pairs of marble columns, which lined up from the entrance to the exit on the opposite side. Silently, they followed their guides to the exit, coming into the open air once more, as they had entered a garden. This outdoor space was surrounded by the three-floor high Palace walls, which were also dotted with windows. There were no defining features to this simple garden – an indicator that it was a place of relaxation, and a haven for those who wished to relieve themselves and escape their daily routines.

They continued on, walking towards the entrance to the dome, which was obviously the main reception point when one had an audience with the Royal Family. Guards on either side swung open the doors, permitting their entry and they were led into the large space, the guides heading the groups. The room continued the pattern of the checkerboard flooring, though the white-marble columns lined the perimeter, every five feet. Cream coloured cloth cascaded down from the plastered ceiling, occupying the space between each column. At the far end of the room, six thrones carved out of oak, sat regally upon a dais. Each one was the same size and each one were the same cream colour, complete with padding.

The parties were lead to the base of the dais, and it was here that each became aware of the other. Primarily, surprise came upon them, and then they settled as familiarity came about them. However, for Cloud, he merely glared at the silver-haired Sephiroth, and upon sighting Aeris beside him, his blood boiled. Neither one met his eye, though the brown-haired woman seemed to be a little uncomfortable, to which he felt himself soften – after all it wasn't her fault that fate had decreed that she should travel with the man that had killed her. Before anymore subliminal reactions could be made, their guides had fallen to a knee and bowed their heads, in order to formally greet the Lady. The parties followed suit, and a door could be heard opening. A moment later, gentle, evenly-paced footsteps, along with the soft rustling of material could be heard making its way to stop before them. Another pair of footsteps could be heard, this time sharper, each step echoing within the large space, coming to an end once they had reached the dais. The rustling of material could be heard, as both seated themselves on two of the six thrones.

"You may Rise," the gentle voice echoed, as the invitation was given – the Lady was ready for their audience.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

**A/N**: W00T! Eight months later and a chapter mysteriously appears! At any rate this story is so not dead, just that the muse designated this one had a huge bout of writers block, and it wasn't until competition came along that it kicked back into work. At any rate, since I don't think I'll be able to thank everyone in the last chapter of this part, since who knows when I'll be able to post again, I'll thank everyone who reviewed for this part now, and personally

**Divine Star**: Thanks a lot for reviewing all this time, and thanks for your views, I appreciate them, hehe…As for Zack's odd behaviour, all will be revealed in due time, and the same for Lumira and Tifa, though I think I've covered that already…not sure…oh well, it's gonna come up again later, lol

**Rueh**: Thanks for reviewing all this time, I hope you've managed to keep up, and I owe you and everyone else a lot, for not letting this story die in its early days.

**Chere**: Hehe, thanks, hopefully you've been keeping up, despite the long wait, but thank you again :)

**AngelPaw**: Thank you, hehe ;; I won't let this story die, even though it'll take a while for the updates to come, hehe…I'm far in too deep to just leave it where it's at and never look at it again, lol

Anyways, until the next time I update, ciao and thanks so much


	26. END: Author's Note

Final Fantasy VII:

Destiny of the One Winged Angel

END: Author's Note

Greetings everyone,

It's a very sad thing to end a fic, especially my very first one. It was a great exercise in learning to write, and I remember the passion I was filled for it – reading over it now, eight years after the first chapter was put up; I'm impressed by the level of detail but appalled at my lack of experience and poorly written Original Characters. Honestly, they were not supposed to turn out _that_ bad…well, Lumira anyway. I really should have written notes on the story, since some of the characters I don't remember anymore – perhaps I have some notes lying around that covered them, but we've moved house so many times I'm sure something's been misplaced…

The final intended parties for each team were thus:

Cloud, Tseng, Cid, Vincent, Yuki, Arune, Azma

Sephiroth, Aeris, Solomon, Sazan, Kerin, Daena, Raoen

I remember Arune to an extent, but can't remember the roles for Daena or Raoen; I'm sure they were important, the name 'Raoen' _does_ trigger something and according to one sheet I found, Daena was to develop feelings for Solomon – Kerin was, I think, Arune's brother and chose to accompany Sephiroth. Ah, Arune is the Queen of the Ilex – an Ancient race of elf-like people who have strong ties and memories with the history of the Earth. They reside in the Forest of the Ancients, hiding behind a veil that masks their existence to anyone who enters. There's also the mention of Blue Mages, who reside in the Sleeping Forest, perhaps one of the three characters I'm not sure about (Azma; Daena; Raoen) were a Blue Mage…I'm not sure. But they were a Race of people that mastered the art of Blue Magic before the Enemy Skill Materia was created.

The reason why the parties were so large is because I primarily envisioned this story to be a fan-game to be built using RM2K. However, I felt that writing it would be better and it would give me an idea on how things should pan out – it was fun while it lasted, but I have to say that I've lost the motivation for it because I'm not sure how to carry it on, and over the years, my writing style has changed and I don't think I can maintain this pace. However, there may be a slight possibility of a revival, but it will depend on how I feel – just know, that if I _do _decide to go ahead with it, it will be markedly different from this while retaining certain aspects.

Now, to tie up some loose ends…

Lumira was meant to be the reincarnated, True Vessel of Jenova and Keane, having discovered this, intended to complete her so that Jenova could destroy the world as she had intended – he's gone a bit loopy what with Hojo prodding around in him. Sensing these impending events, the Planet – not yet fully recovered from the events in the prior game and not having enough time to recreate the Weapons – brings forth those who had fallen by Jenova's hands in recent years – it's not strong enough to summon people from the past. Namely, Sephiroth was summoned due to a very specific relationship he shares with Cloud in that they are both one half of the warrior who fought and defeated Jenova in Ancient Times.

Now, let's rewind to this battle with Jenova in Ancient Times. During this time, there was a Race of people who were Angelic in appearance – wings; special powers etc. – and they were considered peaceful beings who acted more like Guardians of the Planet and keeping everything in balance. Along with this Race, there were the Cetra and Ilex as well as Nanaki's Race – they all shared the same characteristics in communing with the Planet and maintaining balance…that is until Jenova arrived., and we all know the havoc she was wreaking – throwing balance out of whack and slowly destroying the Planet.

Of the Angelic beings, the current reincarnations are Cloud/Sephiroth; Zack; Vincent and Arune – Cloud/Sephiroth were once the same being, Cephilroud (I know…clever name there, I'll probably change it if I were to reboot this) Cephilroud was married to Past-Arune (Elunavia), who was the sister of his General. Past-Vincent (Vali) and Past-Zack were his closest friends, though Past-Zack slowly fell under Jenova's influence, which is why Present-Zack is evil-ish now. Past-Vincent (Vali) was also a close friend of Past-Arune (Elunavia) – becoming friends with Cephilroud through her – and had feelings for her, which is why Cephilroud requested for him to look after her upon his death in battle.

Ultimately, with Past-Zack leading Jenova's forces – the people she had seduced to her side, after having driven them mad with images of the dead – Cephilroud, being the most talented and powerful Warrior they had, took up arms and fought against the enemy, leading his army. Their initial attack failed, because they were unprepared and were bound to not kill the lives tied to the Planet, and it became apparent that the only way to defeat this threat was to break their role as Guardians of the Planet. This is a grave decision, and would Curse those who chose to kill the lives tied to the Planet rather than protect it, as was their duty, and those Cursed would eventually suffer a painful death. Rather than having his entire army Cursed, Cephilroud took the Curse upon himself and invoked a ritual that would relay the punishment of each death that his men caused upon himself. This would manifest in the form of black, moulting wings and Cursed symbols upon his being. He does this without telling Past-Arune (Elunavia), and enters the second assault where he faces off against Past-Zack and suffers grave injuries. Mustering what strength he had left, he channels the souls of those his army had killed – these are the manifestations of the Cursed symbols – and draws upon the power of their souls to defeat Past-Zack. He then proceeds to Jenova and through the souls, he harnesses power from the Lifestream to lay a fatal blow upon Jenova's host – this strike leaves a scar on the Planet in its wake; the North Crater. Because of the power released by Cephilroud and Jenova, it results in his soul being split and so he's brought back as Cloud and Sephiroth, while Jenova taints the soul of her host and is thus allowed to reincarnate as Lumira.

Skip to the present time – with Arune and Kerin on their respective teams, the two Ilexians explain the destiny their leaders are fulfilling and take measures to bring the two halves of Cephilroud together. I feel that I should elaborate on the incident at the end of Part 1 – Cloud and Sephiroth had fallen into the root nature of their souls, in that the two halves recognise each other and realise that they shouldn't exist without the other, i.e. two halves of the same soul cannot exist without being one. Thus they were fighting to end the other and perhaps become one again; the rising of the dead things and the unearthly scream was caused by the presence of Lumira awakening to Jenova. Oh yeah! Solomon is a part of Vincent – he was created by Vincent to accompany Sephiroth, since on his journey he uncovered the truth and signs of what was to come, though he didn't exactly know what. He also spent the time journeying to further hone and develop his powers.

In Part 2, the plan was for Cloud and Sephiroth to discover the Ancient powers of the Angelic race associated with their soul fragments – evidently, I had taken a liking to Cloud's look in KHI – which would be why they would sprout a single, black feathered wing on opposite sides. During this time, Arune and Vincent would become closer, but she maintains a distance since she knows the truth of their souls/past lives and can't help but wonder if they're drawn to each other because of it. Also, a part of her feels duty-bound to Cloud/Sephiroth and since she's working towards bringing Cephilroud back, there's no telling what would happen once he returns.

During this time, the enemy would be working towards completing Lumira so that she could become Jenova once more and carry out her will – there would have been a few more run-ins with Cloud and Sephiroth's teams facing off against Zack and Tifa. Cloud would have been more reluctant than Sephiroth to give up his life – on his own, he would have been okay with it, but to find out that the twin to his soul is in his mortal enemy, he can't bring himself to do it and wonders if had it been anyone else, would he still be reluctant. For Sephiroth, it's the very reason he was brought back and he sees it as his salvation and penance for his past sins, so in a way he has no choice and no right to refuse. Aeris comes to recognise this and after a time of forced separation, which had to be done so that he and Cloud could unlock the true potential of their Angelic souls for an alternative plan they put together to satisfy Cloud's reluctance, she comes to realise her feelings. This would have culminated in a battle, as the plan was to take down Lumira before she was complete and if all went well, the two men wouldn't have to sacrifice themselves.

Unfortunately, the plan failed and Sephiroth takes a mortal blow for Cloud. As he's dying, he beseeches Cloud to not be a fool to his hatred, since the battle is bigger than just their differences – he fought for the Planet once, and the Planet needs him again; he understands that the price asked is too great, but the rewards would be greater. Plucking up the courage and setting his fears and personal feelings aside, Cloud invokes the spell Arune had taught them during their first attempt and breaks the bonds that hold his body together, his soul uniting with Sephiroth's and Cephilroud is reborn. This marks the end of Part 2, as in the face of his awesome power, Zack and co. retreat and Cephilroud falls unconscious.

Part 3 begins close to a month or so later, with Cephilroud waking up. He had been sleeping for so long as his body stabilises; he has three sets of memories – his own and the two halves of his soul, so he's pretty disoriented. As he rests, he floats in and out of consciousness and during these times, he's aware of two different people, one of whom seems to be filled with deep sadness. The first person he meets, upon fully waking, is Arune, who comes in to tend to him and he immediately recognises her to be his wife, Elunavia, as he sees her soul, until his sight settles and he sees her current incarnation. She's his only contact, explaining to him little by little about the current situation, until he's strong enough to carry himself and meet the rest of the team. When he does so, Aeris catches his eye as he feels the strong emotions for her from the two halves of his soul, as well as sensing that she is the other one who would sit by his side as he slept.

Aeris maintains minimal contact with Cephilroud, keeping distance between them while he trains with Vincent, who has undergone his own training to tap into the powers of his soul, which is only possible upon fusing with Solomon and becoming whole again – this is something that was to happen during Part 2, but I was unsure of when it would take place. Arune has always been able to tap into the power associated with her past self, and after the events of Part 2, Zack undergoes procedures to tap into his since he recognises that he needs to be on an even footing with Cephilroud in order to defeat him.

Oh gosh! In all this I completely forgot to say that Yuki and Sazan, who's real name is Shou (just decided that, since I couldn't remember the _real_ one) are brother and sister, and he's Yuffie's fiancé. He left Wutai on a journey as he needed to figure things out, since as he described his relationship to Solomon, they're more friends than lovers but _do_ have that fondness. He's just not sure if what he feels is Love in the sense of Eros, or if he loves her but isn't attracted to her – he recognises that she's a beautiful woman and he could get turned on by her, but he doesn't want to do it because that's the way it's supposed to be; he wants more and isn't sure if what he seeks is in Yuffie. The whole engagement thing is a formality, since at the time they were into each other and it made sense, but as the day grew closer he began to develop doubts/fears.

As they prepare for the final battle, they remember that there are still parts of Jenova scattered about – most prominently, her head – and they move to intercept it to prevent Zack from collecting it for Lumira. They're half victorious, as they manage to destroy most of it, but Zack still manages to salvage some remnants and it's better than nothing, as he manages to harvest whatever else he needs from the experiments/SOLDIERs who have been injected with her cells, meaning that during this battle he also gets what he needs from Cephilroud as his body has the cells from Cloud and Sephiroth.

At some point, Cephilroud purposefully encounters Aeris and confronts her regarding her behaviour. He also feels that he needs to connect with his two halves, since while he has feelings for Elunavia, he knows that Arune isn't her and has also seen Arune with Vincent; when he closes his eyes, the first person he sees is Aeris and it hurts him to know that she's in pain because of his existence. His way of speaking reminds her of Sephiroth, remembering that he too felt the same about their situation, and so the two speak and she expresses her anger at Sephiroth for giving his life away without giving her the chance to speak to him. After some thought, Cephilroud asks if she would like to see him, since he should be able to slip away and let either of his souls come to the surface. She's taken aback by the offer and refuses, saying that while she wants to see him, she also wishes to see Cloud and it's not fair to choose one over the other, since technically they were never meant to exist in the first place and now they never will. He apologises for his offer, admitting that he should have thought before suggesting it and she leaves his presence.

As the final battle draws near, Cephilroud has a talk with Arune, telling her that she shouldn't feel bound to him as she isn't his wife, and essentially gives her and Vincent his blessing. He then goes to Aeris and speaks with her, telling her that there is a high possibility of his death and he's not sure what may happen afterwards, though it seems likely that neither Cloud nor Sephiroth will return, and once the threat is over, everything will go back to normal. This means that everyone who died – Tseng; Aeris; Zack and himself – will return to the Lifestream. He knows it's a scary thought, but that's the way it is, and hopefully they will be reincarnated and if it's possible, he would like to meet her again in their next life.

On the day of the final battle, everyone who's still around, fights against Zack; Tifa and the much stronger Lumira/Jenova, with Cephilroud at the fore. It was meant to be quite intense, and at the peak with Lumira/Jenova feeling somewhat overwhelmed and Zack close to defeat, she latches onto the Jenova cells within him and merges with him, thus becoming more powerful as she has both Jenova and Angelic power in her grasp. At the climax, Cephilroud comes to realise Aeris' role as the possessor of Holy and the link to the Lifestream – he still possesses his Curse, but it is more of a Stigma carried by his soul rather than actually affecting him, as it did in his previous life. Together, the two of them unite their powers – with him using her as a conduit to the Lifestream – and they destroy Lumira/Jenova, freeing Zack and returning the balance to normal.

In the Epilogue, Tifa is rehabilitated and continues her life in Nibelheim – at this point, I'm thinking this was probably Raoen's ultimate role, to spend his life with her, but I'm not sure – Vincent and Arune embark on a relationship and he lives with her in the Forest of the Ancients and Yuki and Sazan return to Wutai, with Sazan deciding that Yuffie is what he wants, though they push their wedding back a bit. Cid makes it in time for the birth of his baby and everyone else pretty much gets on with their lives, while remembering the incredible sacrifices that were made to preserve their world. Before the close, it skips to about 18 or 25 years, with Tifa visiting Aeris' garden in Old Midgar, wondering if she'll ever meet any of those who have died again, and sometimes thinks that certain happy couples may be Cephilroud and Aeris reborn. Unbeknownst to her, as she's making her way back to the Inn in New Midgar to meet her family – she's settled into her life with Raoen – a young woman is picking her way through Old Midgar, returning to the garden after having fetched water for the flowers and is surprised to find a man, around her age, standing there. She's surprised and remarks that she didn't think anyone else knew about the place, and he replies that he's just sightseeing and was just making his way through to find the rumoured vantage point that had the best view of the ruins, when he came across the garden.

That's pretty much what was supposed to happen with the main story, and evidently I didn't get around to thinking too much about the side characters…or rather I forgot over the years, what with my misplaced notes. Thinking about it, it does sound like a good story and while I can't make any promises, I _do_ hope to perhaps one day revisit it, provided that I have the time and I am able enough.

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed and watched this story, and especially to those of you who are still around. I apologise for taking so long to reach this point, and I apologise for not continuing this story and giving it the love and care it deserves. It really saddens me, when I look back on the reviews and my comments on how I would never give up. In spirit, I never did, which is why it took me so long to pull the curtain...I always hoped that I could continue and finish what I started, and even now I really hope that I do. Only this time, with the experience that I have gained thanks to all of your wonderful reviews - they truly did shape who I am now as a writer - I can perhaps give it the care it is due, and so it is my greatest wish to revive this story, and perhaps you'll join me when I make that journey...

Thank You all once again and Very Kind Regards,

-Erutan Xiku


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